Altruism
by Sokkasm
Summary: Edward is on his way home, and he discovers things have changed since he left. Alchemy is outlawed and there is no escape. Even alchemists who have renounced their ways are still harshly punished as Amestris falls into chaos. Post manga/brotherhood. T for language.
1. Reunions Suck

** This is my first Fullmetal Alchemist story that's not a crossover, so I'm excited to see where this goes. Things to keep in mind; I type late at night, so if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to PM them to me. I don't have a specific update schedule, but at the end of the night (10 pm, central time USA), I'll update my profile and put next to each of my fanfics how many words I wrote that day.  
**

* * *

Winry was not going to be happy with Ed. It had only been four months since he left Amestris and went west of Creta, but Ed's automail leg was already damaged. It wasn't that bad, really, just a scratch. Well, more like a large gash, but the slight damage did not hinder Ed's ability to move around with ease. Unfortunately, if the leg was not repaired soon, it could very well become a serious problem.

The reason the leg was marred in the first place was actually pretty stupid; Ed was walking up a street and got distracted by a book store display case. Since he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, he veered into the street and was hit by a car. Thankfully, the automail leg took most of the hit, but Winry probably wouldn't agree with that.

What's done was done, and Ed was happy he was returning home; he'd get to see Winry and Alphonse! Although, Winry would most definitely clobber him with a wrench for breaking her precious automail.

The Cretan border was less than a mile away, and the train groaned before it's brakes began to squeal. As far as Ed knew, the next stop wasn't supposed to be at the border, but in Creta's capital. The train made a grinding stop, and Ed looked out the window casually. It looked like they stopped in the middle of a field, since there was nothing around except for wheat. There should've been a platform of some kind if people were planning on getting on and off, but the only thing in sight was a meager dirt road and a military vehicle.

Several men entered the train car, all armed with rifles. "We need to see your passports." One of the soldiers announced. Ed felt relieved; this was only a checkpoint to make sure there were no illegal immigrants. Because there was only eleven people in all, this shouldn't take too long. Ed was the last person to be checked, and he lazily gave his passport to the large man.

"You are Amestrian." The soldier stated as he carefully inspected the document.

"Yeah." This was already taking longer than the other passengers' inspections. He didn't have to go through this four months ago when he left. Maybe something had happened while he was gone.

"Come with us." The men congregated around Ed and they had their guns at the ready. Ed didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like it.

"No thanks. I don't need an escort home." Ed crossed his arms and scooted towards the window.

"It wasn't a request." At this point, the soldiers had their guns aimed at Ed, whose eyes were very wide now.

"I haven't done anything wrong." Ed raised his hands parallel to chest in defense. The man in front grabbed Ed by the arm and dragged him into the isle. He grabbed a metal bracelet and clasped it shut around Ed's right wrist. The metal object was locked, and it had a small, red button on it that looked like it was supposed to light up.

"Whatever you say, alchemist." The last word was hissed and the man's eyes were glowering.

"Whoa, I'm not an alchemist." Ed could feel the barrel of a gun pressing against his back menacingly.

"That's what they all say. Get moving, scum!" The treatment was unfair, and Ed growled wildly. Since he was severally outnumbered, there was no choice but to listen to the soldiers' orders. He was unceremoniously thrown into the back of the armored truck and was forced to sit on the floor. The men piled into the back and kept their guns aimed at Ed.

The train whistle blared, and the engine roared. Soon, the train went on its way and was out of sight. The car ride on the unkempt dirt road was bumpy, and Ed was leery of the shaking guns.

"I hope your safeties are on." He grumbled.

"Shut up." The man nudged Ed in the ribs with his thick-soled boot. The ride grew boring and ridiculous rather quickly. Without much thought, Ed scratched his nose and heard the guns clicking.

"I have a passport. I don't understand why-" He was jabbed in the side with a gun.

"Silence!" Ed sighed to himself and he decided it would be best to obey the threatening people, so he sat quietly on the cold floor. They drove for what seemed like hours until they parked in front of a large stone building.

The back hatch opened and more guards were surrounding the car like they were expecting a deadly brawl to break out. Ed was pulled out of the back and was half carried to the building. He kicked his legs wildly, upset with the indignant mode of transportation.

"Stop resisting." A soldier spoke coldly. Ed did the opposite and squirmed even more. His papers were up to date and he had committed no crime in this country, at least that he knew of. More guards swarmed around Ed and helped carry him through the building until they reached the prison wing.

Their reluctant prisoner was tossed into a small cell with a wall of thick glass for observation.

"Bastards!" Ed proclaimed as the thick black door was slammed shut.

* * *

Nothing was going well. Ed pounded his fists on the glass window and shouted every derogatory word he knew on the top of his lungs. He even clapped his hands and touched the wall, knowing nothing would happen. It had been two days since Ed was stuck in the small cell, with only a few slices of bread and a pitcher of warm water for sustenance. Desperately, Ed started to kick the unbreakable glass with his automail foot.

A small crack formed, and the door to his cell abruptly opened.

"Come." Ed turned and saw two large men standing in the doorway, each holding a small gray device. Assuming the men were unarmed, Ed seized his chance and tried to run through the two men and he managed to push their grabbing arms away. He raised his hands in triumph and began to run down the dark hallway.

Ed was almost positive he in the clear, until the light on the device began to glow and he doubled over in pain as he clutched his right wrist. He thrashed on the ground and tried to tear off the metal bracelet that was the source of the shocking pain. The two soldiers quickly bound Ed's hands together and one of them pressed a button on their device; the pain then ceased. He was carried by his armpits and he let his legs drag against the floor. Ed felt like he was struck by lightning.

He was carefully placed in a large room and was set down on a small bed. The door was shut and the lock clicked when the guards left. Ed was once more left alone, but at least there appeared to be things to do in this cell.

The bed was nothing special, but at least it had a mattress. There was a dimly lit lamp on top of a small bookcase, which also had a jug of ice water sitting on it. Ed stumbled over to the bookcase, still in a daze from the recent shocking. The books were nothing special; just a few mystery and romance novels. On the lowest shelf, there was a small can of oil and a white towel. Ed picked up the can and was surprised to discover it was automail oil.

Ed grabbed a random mystery book, the oil, towel, and sat down on his bed. He frowned as he cleaned his damaged leg carefully. Why did those soldiers take him to a nice cell, knew he had automail, and most importantly; why did they arrest him in the first place?

"You know, I requested everything in here specially for you." Ed zipped his head around at the familiar voice. He didn't even hear the door open, but a man with dark hair and eyes was standing in the room. Ed's eyes narrowed when he saw who the person was.

"Mustang?"

* * *

The colonel was not in his military uniform, and he had a bracelet identical to Ed's around his wrist. Mustang smiled slightly when he looked at his ex-subordinate. Ed quit the military shortly after Alphonse was returned to his body, so he and Mustang hadn't seen each other in nearly three years.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ed sounded angry, though his hatred was not necessarily aimed at the colonel. "Aren't you supposed to be in Ishbal?" Ed rolled his pant leg down and set the oil and book on the dresser.

"Yes, but something has recently come up."

"Like what? Why…wait, can you see me?" Ed noticed Mustang's eyes had followed him when he walked around in the room.

"Of course I can, Fullmetal." Mustang retorted obviously.

"Don't call me that." Ed's temper began to rise. "Truth took away your sight. What did you do?" He demanded, but Mustang hardly reacted to Ed's reddening face.

After Havoc was healed with the Philosopher's Stone, Mustang was the next one to be healed. He always knew Ed wouldn't react well if he found out how he regained his eyesight.

"That is none of your concern."

"Fine. I'd still like to know why we're both here. I haven't done anything wrong." Mustang chuckled lightly.

"I'm here on military business. Since you're no longer on my team, I can't give you details. As for you, you're clearly guilty."

"Of what!" Ed shouted and he stormed over the idiotic colonel. Mustang noticed right away he and Ed were the same height; Ed might've actually been a little bit taller than himself.

"Being an alchemist."

"We both know that's bullshit. You were there when I gave my alchemy up!"

"Don't you read the newspapers, Fullmetal?" Ed's eyes twitched with annoyance.

"Stop calling me that! And of course I read the paper. There's never anything exciting in them."

"You haven't been paying attention. Have a seat." Mustang motioned to the bed and Ed grudgingly sat down on it, and Mustang pulled a chair out from the corner and relaxed on it. "I assume you know what this is." Mustang pointed to the bracelet around his wrist.

"Yeah. It's some sort of shocking device. Why are we wearing them?" Ed fumbled with the mechanism, desperate to find a way to pry it off.

"It's more than a simple punishing tool; it's specifically designed for alchemists."

"Then why do I have one? I'm not an alchemist anymore."

"Keyword being 'anymore'."

"Can you just tell me what this is all about, already?"

"Impatient as ever, Fullmetal." Ed glared, but said nothing. "Creta has come up with this special technology that cancels out the effect of a transmutation. It takes the energy from alchemy and uses it against the alchemist in the form of an electric shock. Because you are a civilian, I can't disclose why I'm here."

"If I'm not in the military, then why am I being forced to stay in here?" Ed asked tiredly.

"The Cretans are against all alchemists. They want to live in a society where alchemy does not exist, and have already outlawed it. These soldiers think you have renounced your alchemy, but in their eyes, 'once an alchemist, always an alchemist'. Drachma carries the same resentment and has followed in Creta's footsteps."

"They outlawed alchemy?" Mustang nodded his head. "That's not right. Drachma has a powerful military, but they'd never get by Armstrong. Creta doesn't have a strong enough army to invade Amestris, so I don't see why you're here. Ishbal should be more important."

"I can't save Ishbal if Amestris falls." Mustang said simply and took a sip of water. Ed scratched his head and came to a sudden realization.

"If Drachma and Creta joined forces, they wouldn't have to worry about attacking Briggs. You're here to make peace with Creta, aren't you?" Ed asked accusingly while he yawned.

"I can't answer that." Mustang stood up and headed toward the door. "I'll try getting you back home as soon as possible. Try not to do anything stupid."

"I'll try not to." Ed responded irritated. It's not like he could cause much trouble stuck in a prison cell. Mustang left and the door clicked. The light in the lamp flickered, and Ed went to sleep. He was glad that the bastard colonel had given him a more comfortable room, and Ed knew the colonel would sort this all out. Hopefully.

* * *

"Mustang, you know that boy, don't you?" Roy almost laughed at the question from the Cretan General. Edward was most certainly not a child, but he didn't dare point that out to the small group of people that sat before him. These were the soldiers directly involved in the anti-alchemy project, and if Roy made one little mistake, they would cast him out and invade Amestris. Ed was right; Drachma and Creta were allies and they were planning on a large attack if Roy failed this mission.

"Well, not personally."

"His passports say his name is Edward Elric. Isn't that the name of the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Mustang breathed quickly, but tried to look calm.

"Elric is not a State Alchemist. He quit the military two years ago, so he is no threat to us."

"According to our intelligence, Fullmetal was your subordinate, so of course you two know each other." Busted. Roy knew he had to take care of this misunderstanding quickly.

"At one point, I did know him. He has no military interests. Really, he's quite harmless."

"My men reported that seven of our soldiers were injured while apprehending him. This child doesn't sound harmless to me. Why did he resist when we were detaining him?" Roy mentally cursed at Ed's short temper.

"Just because he's harmless doesn't mean he isn't a little brat. He's mad because he honestly doesn't know what's going on." Roy knew that was true; he hoped the men would see he wasn't lying.

"Or maybe he's upset he was captured and didn't get the chance to attack us from behind. He was sent here for backup, wasn't he?" The General sounded angry, and Roy knew he was starting to lose the argument with the stubborn and idiotic leaders.

"No. I haven't even seen him for a couple years. I don't really care about him anymore." Breaking all ties with Ed seemed like the best way for the both of them to return home.

"Then why did you request that new cell for him?" Roy groaned at his own stupidity. Ed could've handled a few more days in solitary, but Roy had been shocked to discover his old subordinate was here. After all Ed went through in his life, Mustang didn't think it was fair for him to be locked up in a meager cell.

"No one deserves to be punished that harshly if they haven't done anything wrong."

"Don't lie to us, Mustang. It's obvious you still have some sort of relationship with the boy."

"I don't!" Now Roy was the one who was starting to sound angry. "I haven't even talked to the annoying brat in years!"

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true." He growled.

"If you weren't the one to send him here, then someone else did."

"I highly doubt that. He's out west for his own personal research."

"Mustang, you are starting to test our patience and intelligence. It is inconceivable that a State Alchemist conveniently traveled through our country for only research. He was probably sent by your Fuhrer."

"That's ridiculous." Roy half-shouted.

"If you truly have broken all ties with the boy, I want you to prove it." The General nodded his head and a soldier sitting next to Roy handed him a small gun.

"What's this for?" Roy asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Kill him. You shouldn't have a problem doing it if you don't care about him. Right?" The fate of Amestris was hanging on Roy's shoulders. Edward was simply going to have to be sacrificed to save millions of Amestrian lives.

"Understood, sir." Roy stood up and saluted the General, then he solemnly walked to Ed's cell.

* * *

Ed groggily smacked his lips together while he sat on the edge of his bed. It was still nighttime, but he wasn't sleeping that well. He just finished one of the novels and he was about to grab another one when the door to his cell creaked open.

"Bastard? What are you doing here?" Ed asked curiously when he saw it was the colonel. Mustang shut the door harshly behind him. The look in Mustang's eyes was starting to freak Ed out, and he grabbed a thick book defensively.

"Mustang, what's going on?" Ed could see a needle in his hands, and Mustang moved closer. Ed threw his book at Mustang's head to keep him away, but it was easily dodged. Ed backed up against the bookcase and tried to figure out what Mustang was up to.

"Edward," Ed knew immediately something was wrong; the colonel never called him by name. "I'm sorry. Please stay still for me." Ed did no such thing and the bookshelf toppled over from Ed leaning against it. Ed fell down and he wildly kicked his legs when Mustang was in hitting range. He managed to kick Mustang twice, but then he caught Ed's flesh leg and quickly stabbed it with the syringe and let the fluid enter Ed's bloodstream.

"Colonel!" Ed shouted. He was frightened and tired; not a very good combination. He grabbed the lamp and threw it at the colonel, which missed its target terribly. Ed's vision was starting to fade, and he could feel himself fighting sleep.

Ed could see Mustang pull out a silver object from his pocket and he had it aimed at Ed.

"If this is about that Riza comment I made, I'm sorry!" The gun clicked and Ed was frozen from a combination of fear and from being drugged. "Roy!" He screeched.

_ Bang!_

Mustang fired the gun.


	2. Disputes

** I'm going to try and slow down now. Hopefully this chapter won't be too rushed, but I had to reel you guys in somehow, right? Cliffhanger is usually the way I solve that problem.**

** I've read many brilliant stories where alchemy was banned, both in AU and normal stories. I absolutely adore them, so that's why I'm making one. I'm trying something different with mine, however. Instead of witch hunts like other fics, I'm going with a different approach…You'll just have to wait and see.**

** Also, yay! My cover art is complete, and it shouldn't give too much away… ;)**

* * *

Edward opened his eyes and was frightened to discover he was surrounded by darkness. The air circulating around him smelled and felt stale; was he dead? A sharp pain shot through Ed's leg when he readjusted his body. He tried to sit up to apply pressure to the wound, but his head collided with something hard.

Since he had a terrible headache now, and his leg stung, Ed knew there was no way he was dead. He felt around and realized he was in a wooden box.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked out loud, positive nobody was even around to hear him. The last thing Ed remembered was Mustang pulling a gun at him and firing. He then remembered the bastard stabbed him in the leg with a large needle, which was why his leg felt sore now.

"-suffocate if he doesn't get out soon." Ed could hear a faint voice, as well as a pair of footsteps. His heartbeat quickened and his lungs were desperately heaving to have fresh air. The box's lid was being pried open and a small crack of light and an overwhelming gust of air filled the container.

Ignoring the men who released him, Ed sat up and looked at his leg. There was a deep purple bruise and dried blood around the spot where he was injected. What seemed to be blood was caked in his clothes, but there was no way that was all his.

"Where are we?" His words were slightly slurred from being asleep and inactive for so long.

"A few miles away from Resembool." The two men were wearing Cretan uniforms, but they did not seem to be hostile.

"What!? How did we get here so fast? What is going on?" Ed still sat in the box while his body started to wake up. He didn't feel sturdy enough to stand up yet.

"You've been out for three days."

"Who are you?" Ed seemed to be the only one who didn't know anything.

"We were told to take your body back to Amestris so your family could bury you." The other man answered, and Ed stared at them both with shock and disbelief.

"I'm not dead!"

"We can see that."

"Stop dawdling around and tell me what the hell happened!" Ed snapped as he slowly started to climb out of the box.

"He warned us this is how you might behave…"

"Who?" It didn't take very long to figure out who the man was talking about. "Mustang." He hissed out the name like a curse. Of course that idiot was behind all of this. He simply loved to torment Ed at every given chance.

"He said he'll explain everything to you later when he gets the chance. Until then, we'll escort you home." Ed was standing next to the soldiers with his arms crossed.

"Fine. That bastard better tell me everything." Ed followed the men out of the train and into a car. The surroundings looked familiar, and there were fields full of sheep; he was definitely near home. They approached the Rockbell house and Ed slammed the car door shut without thanking either man for the ride.

His head was throbbing from a migraine, which was mostly caused by confusion. Immediately, Ed noticed something was off when he turned the doorknob; the lights were all off and Den was not barking.

"Winry? Alphonse?" There was no sound. "Granny? Hello, anybody home?" Maybe they were all on a walk or something, so he walked in and slumped down on the old couch. He tore off his ruined shirt and inspected it carefully. The blood didn't have a distinct iron smell. "Fake blood." Ed grumbled to himself. The red sticky liquid was caked on his chest and there appeared to be a bullet hole on his sternum. It was quite gruesome and very realistic looking. Ed touched the nasty bullet hole and wasn't too surprised when he grabbed it and tore a bloodied mass of latex off his skin.

"Moron." Ed sneered to himself. He went into the bathroom and took a hot shower to get rid of the sticky substance. The door to the living room opened, and Ed could hear two faint voices. Quickly, he stopped the shower, dried himself off, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Ed rushed to greet whoever had returned home and stood in the dark living room.

"I'm home!" He proclaimed cheerfully. They weren't expecting Ed to come home for another three months. A scream pierced the silence. "It's just me." Ed flipped on the light and saw a man protectively wrapping his arms around a brunette woman. He had never seen these people in his life.

"What are you doing in our house?" The gruff man demanded.

"Your house? I live here."

"Take whatever you want! Don't hurt us." The woman pleaded as she burrowed her face into her husband's chest.

"Why would I steal from myself? I think you two are lost." It was probably just a drunk couple who couldn't remember where their house was. The man inched his hand toward a drawer where Winry kept spare nuts and bolts. Ed raised an eyebrow curiously, but his stomach churned when a gun was pulled.

"Come on." Ed sighed. This was the third time in the span of a week he had a gun aimed at him. "I really do live here. Just look at-" Ed started to point in the direction of the bulletin board where countless photos of himself, Al, and Winry were hung.

"Don't move!" The man's voice and hands quavered. It was obvious he never shot a gun in his life. "Honey, go call the police." The wife scurried toward a phone while the husband kept the shaking gun aimed at Ed.

"P-put your hands up!" Ed stared at the terrified man his bewilderment. What sort of nut jobs broke into people's houses and claimed they lived there? He could hear the woman blabbering quickly into the phone. If Ed raised both his hands, the loose towel around his waist would certainly fall, and he didn't want to add indecency to the list of strange things that happened to him this week.

The idiot's hands shook more, and he fired a shot near Ed. His instincts took over and Ed rushed towards the man with one hand supporting the towel. He tackled the intruder to the ground and knocked the gun out of his trembling hands.

"Aah! He's gonna kill my husband!" Ed could hear the woman shout into the phone. Ed used his body weight to make sure the man wouldn't be able to move.

"Hurry! He's gonna kill us!"

"I live here, damn it!" Ed yelled, and he was pretty sure the woman had just fainted. This was just not his week.

The sound of car engines was starting to get loud, and a flashing red light peeked through the windows. The door was kicked open and four police officers stormed into the house to surround Ed.

"All I wanted to do was take a shower." Ed moaned while he pushed his wild hair out of his face.

"Edward? Is that you?" He looked up and saw an officer he recognized from childhood.

"Yeah. I live here." He snarled. Right now, he just wanted to relax and go to sleep.

"I know, but you weren't supposed to be back for a while. Would you mind getting off this gentleman?" Ed snorted when the officer called the intruder a gentleman, but he listened and stood up. "What exactly happened here? The call was hard to understand."

"These two came barging in here, and they said I was in their house. That guy pulled a gun out of that cabinet…I didn't know Winry had a gun! Do you know where she is?" Ed panicked a little bit after he realized how late it was, and nobody had come home yet.

"Rush Valley. Miss Rockbell was renting out this house until you came back. This couple is renting the house for the time being."

"So, uh, now what?" Couldn't he have at least one normal day?

"Nothing, I suppose. We can't really arrest anyone for going into their own house." The officer chuckled, and the other men were explaining the situation to the dazed couple. Ed slipped out of the front room and went into the bathroom to put his sleeping clothes on. He only planned on staying the night, then he would leave first thing in the morning to go to Rush Valley.

Once the commotion settled down, Ed nestled in the comfortable couch, and fell into a well deserved sleep.

* * *

_ Ring!_

_ Ring!_

"Hello?" Ed groggily answered the phone and strained his eyes to see what time it was; 1:14 am. Who was calling him at this ungodly hour? He yawned audibly, and he really hoped this was important.

"Good, you're home." Even though it was early, Ed's brain could comprehend that he knew this voice.

"Colonel?…Tell me what the hell you did!" It was hard being upset and tired at the same time.

"That's a long story. I want you to stay low, don't even get yourself a traffic ticket."

"I don't have a car." Ed drawled out 'car' and yawned again.

"The Cretans think you're dead, so be alert."

"I would still like to know what happened." He didn't know how he was managing to stay awake.

"Simple; I was told to kill you, so I did." Ed rolled his eyes, even though this was a phone conversation and not a face-to-face one. Would people really fall for that trick again? Mustang did the same thing with Ross…

"You didn't have to stab my leg." Ed added since the wound was still sore.

"I had to put you under somehow. Plus, the damage you caused looked like a perfect struggle."

"You could've told me what you were planning!" He shouted, forgetting there were other people in the house. Ed was very tempted to hang up the phone.

"That wouldn't have been as fun. Oh, I almost forgot the reason I called. I want you to go to Aerugo."

"Why?"

"Things aren't going too well here."

"You can't give me orders anymore."

"This is a friendly request, and you don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to. We have a peace treaty with Aerugo, so they will come to Amestris's aid if we are attacked. Please go there with your family until this blows over. It shouldn't take too long, so think of it as a vacation. Be careful." Mustang hung up the phone, which left Ed wondering about the call. He knew something was wrong as soon as Mustang said 'please take your family'. That, and Mustang rarely said 'be careful'. Ed realized he and everyone else could be in serious danger.

The way the colonel spoke was unsettling. He didn't have his usual smug demeanor when he was talking. Ed had rarely heard this tone in the colonel's voice, and it was rather unsettling. Mustang was scared.

* * *

"Would you care to explain what this is?" The General plopped a small stack of paper in front of Roy. It looked like Amestrian police reports.

"Fire kindle." He said underneath his breath.

"Sorry?" Roy straitened up and looked at the man in the eye. Right now, they were the only ones in the room, since everyone else was in the cafeteria eating breakfast.

"They're police records. Amestrian. Why do you have them?" Roy spoke diligently and calmly to make sure he didn't sound nervous.

The General flipped to a paper-clipped page and pointed to a small passage. "Have a look at that." Roy obeyed and thoroughly read the report.

'_Resembool, 2243 hours, Rockbell residence._

_Received call about a suspected break in. Upon arrival, supposed intruder turned out to be part-time resident, Edward Elric. No charges were filed.'_

Roy looked at the date and sighed; the report was from the previous night. He specifically told that brat to stay low! Of course, he ignored the fact the report was written hours before he called Ed.

"Do you care to explain what this is?" Shit! There was no way out of this.

"You see-" He didn't know how to respond without sounding like an idiot. The operation was over, and he had lost. Still, he could still be a player on the board if he wanted to, but he was going to have to cheat. In an attempt to remain a player in the game, Roy punched the man in the face and dashed through the building and towards the parking lot.

Oh, how he wished he was able to use alchemy to blow the building up. That would make things so much simpler.

Roy knew these people were idiots; most of them kept their keys right in the ignition. He randomly selected a car and started the engine, and didn't hesitate to stomp his foot on the gas pedal. Getting to Amestris as soon as possible was vital; Creta and Drachma were going to attack soon, everyone had to be warned.

* * *

It was still dark out when Ed packed his things and walked the short distance to the train station. The ride to Rush Valley was only a few short hours, and he slept for the whole trip. Garfiel's shop was easy to find, and it wasn't far from the station.

Ed walked in and smiled when he saw Winry. "If you told me you were renting out the house, that would've saved me from some trouble." Winry turned around and ran to hug him.

"Ed! What are you doing here?" She released Ed from her grip and glanced at him. "You broke your leg!" Winry accused.

"No, I-" Ed stopped and remembered why he came home early in the first place and groaned while Winry held a wrench menacingly in her hand. "It's not that bad, really." Ed sat down and Winry rolled up his left pant leg to inspect the automail.

"What did you do?" She gaped at the sight of the large gash in the metal.

"I got into a disagreement over who had the right of way." He responded with crossed arms. It didn't take Winry long to figure out what happened, so she angrily tore out the leg from the port.

"You got hit by a car? You idiot!" Ed flinched, worried he was going to be clobbered.

"I didn't do it on purpose." He stated innocently.

"You're lucky." She pried the damaged metal plate off the leg. "Only the protective plate is messed up." Winry rotated the leg in her hands to make sure there was no further damage. "I'll only have to make a new cover plate." Ed knew it wouldn't take long for the new part, maybe a few hours since Winry didn't have to start from scratch.

"Um, could you also take care of this?" Ed sheepishly raised his right arm and revealed the metallic bracelet.

"What's that?"

"I'm not exactly sure. It uses a transmutation's energy to shock the person who tried to perform the alchemy. It can also be controlled by a button."

"And you have this because?" Winry grabbed Ed's hand and raised it eye level to get a better look at the device.

"…Uh…"

"Tell me." She demanded in a soft tone, which caused Ed to shudder. Women, especially this one, could be utterly terrifying. He then remembered he was sort of engaged to her…

"Okay, it's not my fault, but I got arrested."

"What!?"

"Has there been a lot of talk about Creta here?"

"Yeah, they're threatening to attack us. They outlawed alchemy, right?" Ed nodded his head. "They arrested you because they thought you were an alchemist?"

"Mm hmm." Winry placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sounds like you had a rough journey. I'll see what I can do." She grabbed a handful of various screwdrivers and started to figure out how the bracelet came off.

"Hey, where's Al?" Ed asked casually.

"Your brother is still in Xing." He had forgotten Al wasn't supposed to return home for another couple months.

"So, how does a trip to Aerugo sound?" '_Take your family'_ Mustang had said.

"I don't know."

"It'd be just the two of us." Al wouldn't be back anytime soon, the tension between Amestris and Creta would certainly be over before he returned.

"Edward!" Winry hissed and glared at Ed.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow and slowly realized how his suggestion to go on vacation had sounded. "No! I didn't mean it like that! I-" Winry's hysterical laughing cut him off from defending himself any further. "What?" There was something he was missing here.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're you." Ed let a gust of air burst from his nose.

The bracelet made a loud click noise, and a dark blue, nearly black, liquid bubbled out of it. The contraption fell to the ground with a slight 'ping', and Winry wiped the liquid off Ed's arm with her grease rag.

"What's that?" She questioned, but Ed didn't seem too worried.

"Iodine."

"Is it safe?"

"In large amounts, no. This amount can cause a rash, but it might not. My skin will just be yellow for a while." Once Winry wiped the iodine away, she discovered the areas it touched were starting to turn a sickly beige color. "Though, I don't know what function it would serve inside that bracelet. It's not a conductor, so it wouldn't serve any purpose for electric shock." The calm way Ed talked was starting to worry Winry.

"Ed, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine." Ed was stressed, and Mustang's , 'be careful' was replaying in his mind.

"No, it's not. What happened?" Ed wanted to walk away to be left alone, but his leg was on a counter out of his reach.

"Mustang was in Creta. He told me negotiations were going terribly, and he wanted me to take you out of the country. He sounded worried."

"Mustang? As in your old superior?"

"Yep." Ed then added under his breath, "Bastard."

"Do you think we'll be attacked?"

"Probably." Ed knew the Drachman soldiers were most likely in Creta right now, waiting for the signal to charge.

"I think we should go."

"Why?"

"To see what type of automail they have!" Ed gave her a look that said 'liar'. "Well, I don't want you sent to war if they start the draft."

"Oh." Even though he wasn't in the military, Ed could very well be forced to be a soldier again if he was drafted.

"Here." Winry handed him a spare leg. "We'll leave as soon as I fix your leg." Ed snorted quietly; Winry was already starting to take charge. He shoved the leg to the port and went to the back room where their temporary home was connected to the automail shop. This quarrel between countries had better not change to a full blown war, or they were going to be hiding in Aerugo for more than a short month.

Colonel Mustang was going to have to keep negotiating, and Ed was going to try and stay low so he didn't jeopardize Mustang's mission. If only he knew at the time Mustang was already in Central, preparing to fight the oncoming army.


	3. Honeymooners

** Let's get something straight. I suck at romance. I don't even care to read it. So, I apologize in advance for any cheesy moments in the following chapter.**

** To guest, Not so human, I'll reply to you here, since I can't via PM. Thanks for the review! Yeah, Ed will get involved, whether he wants to or not. (Trust me, he's going to hate being forcefully involved.)**

* * *

"_Aerugo Herald. December 12__th__, 1916_." The train ride was long and uneventful. Winry was currently using Ed's shoulder as a pillow, and he tried his best to hold the newspaper without disturbing her slumber. "_Four days ago, the Amestrian military moved thousands of soldiers to the Cretan border. It was discovered Drachman personnel were already in position and they clashed with the Amestrians. The fighting has reached West City, and it is slowly starting to shift south. Unfortunately, there have been reports of many casualties, both military and civilian. As of now, our government has made no move to assist our allies."_ Ed re-read the short article and folded the paper up. Aerugo was supposed to help Amestris if it was attacked, so why were they doing nothing? From the way it sounded, they only planned on attacking if the threat made it farther south.

The train horn blared and the brakes groaned when they approached the station. The noise and the jerky movement from the train was enough to wake Winry up. She was the one who made the hotel reservations, so she grabbed Ed by the hand and pulled him across the bustling streets.

"How do you know where you're going?" To his knowledge, Winry had never been out of the country.

"I got simple directions. The hotel isn't far from the station." All they had to do was walk down the main street until a large, ornate hotel overtook the surroundings.

"That's our hotel?" Ed was dumbfounded. "We're staying here for more than a few days, you know. I don't think we can afford this." He expected they would stay in a run-down cheap motel until it was safe to return home. This hotel looked like it would cost a fortune for only one night.

"Oh, someone is paying for all of our expenses."

"Who?!" Why would anyone want to pay for all of their expenses, especially since this trip was going to cost a lot of money.

"Colonel Mustang." There had to be an ulterior motive for the bastard's decision to pay for the hotel. "He told me he would call if anything important happened when he was on the phone."

"I don't know why he's so eager to get me out of the country." Ed grumbled, then spoke in a Mustang mock voice, "Fullmetal, we can't have you messing things up. Fullmetal, stay low, but that shouldn't be a challenge for _you_."

"Ed," Winry stifled off a laugh. Ever since Ed had grown taller, he wasn't as sensitive about his height anymore, but there was a rare occasional moment where he freaked out about the subject. "be nice. He's probably just concerned about us with this new war."

"Or he thinks I'm going to mess it up, somehow."

"That's because you would."

"Hey!" Ed protested.

"Come on, let's check in." Ed grunted in agreement and they walked into the extravagant main lobby. There were decorations and paintings everywhere, which Ed thought was pointless and rather stupid.

"Here you go, room 417." The clerk gave Ed two skeleton keys after she checked his papers. She then gave him a sly wink. "Congratulations."

"Uh, thanks?" He turned around and carried both his and Winry's luggage to the elevator. Once they reached their floor, they quickly found room 417 and unlocked the door.

It was a very large suite, complete with a small kitchenette and an enormous bathroom area. It wasn't a visually appealing suite; there were murals of flowers and hearts everywhere, which made Ed snort with disgust.

Winry was in the shower, so Ed had plenty of time to kill. The only thing that sounded nice was sleep. At least the king-sized feather bed felt comfortable when he sat down on it. On a small table, there was a small wicker basket. Curiously, Ed peered into the basket to see what goodies were inside.

It contained several bottles of bath salts, brightly colored lotions, and strangely scented perfumes. A small card stuck to one of the bottles, which read, 'Congratulations!' Strange, that was what the lady at the front desk said, too. Then something clicked in his head.

"I'm going to kill that man!" The room paid for by Mustang was a honeymoon suite.

First, the jerk had the nerve to talk to Winry on the phone, without asking to speak with him. Second, it turned out Mustang was in Central, which Ed only found out the previous day. So, when he was talking to Winry, she must've let it slip that it was just going to be her and Ed going to Aerugo, since Al was in Xing. And now, third, he had the nerve to pay for the honeymoon suite.

Since it was late, and the trip south was tiring, Ed decided to nestle into the covers to get some sleep. Winry finished her shower and decided to join him, only she tried to steal the covers. Ed responded by ripping the blanket back to his side of the bed.

"Share! I'm freezing." Winry demanded while she had a death grip on the blanket. Ed lost the battle, and he was left to sleep with no covers.

* * *

"_Aerugo Herald. December 15__th__, 1916. President Thompson has made no move to send aid to Amestris, despite our agreement to assist them in their time of need. New reports of horrendous casualties are given everyday, and the death toll has not fallen since the fighting started. Rumors are circulating that our esteemed president may bear anti-alchemy sentiments, though said rumors are most unlikely true. We must remain vigilant and strong. All we can do now is pray for our sister country in these dire times of battle_." It was already past supper when Ed managed to read the paper. The so-called vacation was going well, but it was both boring and humiliating to be hiding in a hotel.

From the sound of it, the problem between Creta and Amestris grew into war. There was no way he and Winry were going to return home anytime soon. What was real unsettling was Ed had not received a phone call from Mustang yet. Ed figured the big reason the colonel paid for the suite was so they could be in contact with each other.

"Oh, Honey!" Winry called out to Ed sarcastically. She had made sure to tease him at every given moment when she found out they were staying in a honeymoon suite. "I'm going to bed." Her sing-songy voice was enough to make Ed shudder. He flipped off the lights and prepared for another battle over who would get the blankets. So far, he was losing the war.

He slumped on the bed and prepared to snatch the comforter, but to his surprise, Winry had scooted over to his side. Since they were close, the blanket covered both of them, so there was no need to rage war against each other. Ed frowned; she was definitely plotting something.

* * *

"_Aerugo Herald. December 28__th__, 1916. Cretan and Drachman forces have gained absolute control over the West City region. Their army is advancing towards the south, but progress is slow. Thompson has still made no indication to send help, and has refused to speak with any reporters. A cease fire was issued early this morning so war prisoners could be exchanged. The enemy agreed, but returned none of the alchemists they captured. The imprisoned alchemist's statuses are unknown_." Ed returned the paper to the cart and jogged to catch up with Winry, who was gawking at something in a display window. It had been twenty days since they left Amestris, but it felt much longer than that.

Ed and Winry both knew they would go crazy if they stayed in the hotel 24/7, so they agreed to walk through the town. Of course, Winry was drooling over a southern model of automail.

"Edward! How would you like a leg like this?" She nearly squealed when Ed took a glance at the metal leg. It didn't seem special, so he didn't understand why she was freaking out.

"Why? I don't see anything neat about it." She smacked him on the side of the head and glared harshly at him.

"The bolts are model T-16! And look at this!" Ed watched as Winry's lips moved, but all he heard was, "Blah! Blah blah blabbity metal something blah!"

"That's nice." He responded dryly.

"You're not even listening! No wonder you're always messing up your leg!"

"Ah." He turned his head away from the display case and watched cars drive by.

"Is everything okay?" She gently held Ed's arm, and he gave her a small smile of reassurance.

"I wish we could go home, and I really miss Al.

"I know. I promise, we'll see him soon and be back home before you know it." The street lights were starting to flicker on, and the cool winter breeze started to pick up. "It's getting late, let's go back to our room." Ed nodded his head and they walked back while holding hands.

Once they returned, Ed decided to put the unused bath salts to use. He took a hot bath, though he had to awkwardly stick his automail leg out of the tub so the salty water didn't corrode or damage the metal.

His previously calloused skin became smooth, and Ed felt completely rejuvenated. He dried off and was shocked to see a bottle of wine and a pot of steaming stew on the dining table when he left the bathroom.

"What's this for?" Winry embraced him from behind and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

"For you, dummy! It is a special day, after all." He shrugged his shoulders and joined Winry at the table. The beef stew was fantastic, and the dark wine seemed to complement the meal.

Ed didn't think this day was special by any means. He knew what today was, but news about Amestris was on the top of his priorities. After they finished their tasty meal, they rested on the bed.

"Happy birthday." Winry said quietly. Ed drew her into his warm arms and returned the kiss from earlier.

"Thanks."

* * *

"_Aerugo Herald. January 18__th__, 1917. The enemy are extremely close to invading Central. South City has been taken over, and both the southern and western regions of Amestris have been annexed into Creta. The conflict is estimated to hit our border in approximately three days. Thompson plans on addressing the nation tomorrow, at 7:00 pm_."

"Hun! Have a look at this." Ed stopped eating his blueberry pancakes and sat on the bed next to Winry to see what the matter was; today, she had beat him to reading the paper. "Do you think Aerugo is going to get involved finally?"

"It would be about damn time! These bastards had an agreement with Amestris they would assist us as soon as we were attacked."

"So we can go home soon? That's great!"

"Yeah, I think we can leave once the army is sent to help. I think we've outlived our stay here anyway."

"Why do you say that?"

"I heard some of the housekeepers talking. They think it's suspicious that we've been on a honeymoon for over a month. I also heard them complain about the big mess we made."

"That wasn't my fault, and you know it! How do you forget a boiling pot of noodles is hot?!"

"I was hungry! Those poor noodles went flying everywhere…I didn't get to eat any of them." Winry slapped Ed on the back of the head for his stupidity. "Thanks." He grumbled while rubbing his head. Ed really hoped they would return home soon; Winry seemed like she was getting overly cranky and clingy, which was most likely a result of homesickness. Ed was starting to feel it, too.

* * *

"_Aerugo Herald. January 23__rd__, 1917. We were all wrong. None of us should have ever doubted our brilliant president, but we have seen a new light. How could any of us have forgotten about the dreaded war of 1835, where countless were killed and the survivors were forced to become Amestrians. It's despicable. The entire southern region of that dreaded country once belonged to us, but it was forcefully taken away. The culprit of all of these atrocities are the alchemists. They are evil people, and they are the direct cause for all of the wars in the past hundreds of years. We know now what we must do. Alchemists, no matter what country they came from, must be severely punished_." Ed read the article again and gulped. A few seconds later, the phone rang for the first time since being stuck in the hotel.

"Hello?"

"Aerugo lied. Get out of there."

"Mustang? Is that you? What's going on?" Ed listened for a response, but the line went dead and beeped. "Winry." Ed gently shook her so she would wake up. All she did was mumble and clutch Ed's arm tightly. "We need to go."

"Idonfeelgud." She groaned quickly.

"What?"

"I don't feel good." She repeated, and Ed let out an audible moan. Of all the terrible times for her to be sick, she just had to choose today.

"Too bad." Ed tore apart the room to make sure they had all their things. He tried his best to pack everything into one bag and he didn't bother to grab the second now empty suitcase. Ed left the keys on the table, and he carried Winry on his back while holding the bag with one hand.

"Where are we goin'?" There was only one place they were safe now.

"Xing, to find my brother."

* * *

** Sorry for such a short chapter, but as you can see, it wasn't action packed. The next one will be longer. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Servitude

**Wow, this chapter really seemed to write itself! (At one in the morning, I may add.) Thanks in advance for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

The blistering desert sun was like torture. Winry couldn't even image how Ed was feeling, since his automail was probably boiling his skin. Of course, he made no sign that he was in discomfort.

"How are you feeling?" Ed asked. That idiot always put others' well-being before his own.

"I'm fine. Just thirsty." Winry could have sworn her stomach was bipolar; one minute it was fine, then the next, she wanted to vomit all over the place. Ed had her convinced it was a side effect from being away from home so long. Different countries had various bugs and illnesses that Amestris did not have, so her queasiness would pass on soon.

"We'll be there soon. Hey, look!" Ed pointed to a figure of something green. When the two were closer to the object, it turned out to be a plump cactus. "I'll get us some water." He used his left foot to bash the plant open, and he dipped an empty canteen as far as he could until it filled up with the pale liquid. Ed held it up and offered the drink to Winry.

"I think I can wait."

"Come on, it's not poisonous. You have to drink something."

"Ed, it's not safe to eat or drink strange plants."

"Sure it is! I do it all the time." To prove his point, Ed guzzled down the juice. "See. Nothing is happening. Have some!" His pupils grew large, so his golden irises were barely visible. Winry wasn't going to touch the liquid.

"I'll pass. Well, let's keep going. You want to see your brother soon, right?" She started to walk and Ed followed her like an excited puppy.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see you, Al!" Winry gave him a strange look, but kept walking. To her dismay, Ed began to giggle hysterically.

"What?" She questioned.

"Al, you look like a girl. Your hair is really long." Winry rolled her eyes and decided to play along with her delusional fiancé.

"So is yours." Ed patted his head and grabbed his ponytail.

"Whoa! When did that get there?" He looked like he was trying to pull it off. "Quick! Get me some…uh…scones!"

"You mean scissors." Normally, Ed's strange behavior would've been amusing, but now, they were running for their lives in the desert. Now was not the time for drug enticing cactus water.

"Yeah!" Ed raised the canteen to take another sip, but Winry slapped it out of his hand. "No!" He dove to the ground and tried to save the juice as it soaked into the sand. "You killed us, Al!" He raised an accusing finger at Winry's face.

"Shut up! We need to keep going." She did her best to lift Ed on his feet, and he leaned against her, not being able to stand up fully.

"Why don't you ask the hoboes for directions?" She looked around and saw a fox peeking its head out of a hole. Xing had to be close; they scheduled themselves to arrive this day. Winry grabbed Ed's arm and pulled him along.

For hours, Ed snapped his fingers and shouted, 'fire!' as he did so. His snapping and random shouts about tiny miniskirts had Winry on edge, but they both stopped when they could hear the whirring of an engine.

"Dragon!" Ed shrieked and he threw himself at the ground. After hours of Ed hallucinating, the noise of civilization never sounded better. She only hoped whoever was driving was Xingese.

The car stopped next to the young adults and Winry sighed a breath of relief; the people inside were Xingese. "Amestrians?" An older man opened the car door and rushed to the two. "Please, come with us." He opened the door and helped them get into the car.

"Oh…this is the best belly I've ever been in." Ed's childish comment made Winry slap her hand to her forehead. The two men in the car gave their new passengers a strange glance.

"We ran out of water this morning, so this idiot thought it would be smart to drink cactus water." She explained.

"It's quenching." Ed confirmed with a wild grin. Both men began to laugh heartily.

"Don't worry, miss. That should wear off soon."

"Thanks for giving us a ride." Winry decided to add.

"No worries. It's all part of the job."

"You drive a car around in the sand?" She didn't know what type of job would require one to go into the desert.

"You don't know? We're smugglers." Winry wrapped her hands tightly around Ed, even though he was currently useless if something bad were to happen. The man could tell she was worried. "Oh, not like that! Emperor Ling paid us to bring refugees from Amestris to the safety of Xing."

"That's fantastic!" At least there was one sane country out there that wasn't determined to make Amestris fall. The sand gradually turned into dirt, and Ed was mumbling incoherently. They went over a little hill, which revealed hundreds of tents and small smoke stacks.

"We don't have room for the refugees to live with us, so they stay here until a family agrees to take them in." It sounded like a confusing process. Xing was kind enough to allow countless Amestrians in, but they didn't quite have all the resources for them to thrive and live like they once did.

"Bathroom!" Ed shouted, and everyone in the car jumped at the random outburst. "I need one, now!" Winry could tell his pupils were back to their normal size, and he was biting his lip with frustration.

"Uh, right over there." The driver pointed to a gray shack and Ed burst through the door.

"Thanks again. I think I should wait for him." Winry exited the car and waved to the drivers. She had a dreaded feeling Ed wouldn't emerge for a long time.

"Winry!" She turned around and saw a very familiar face.

"Alphonse?"

"Yeah!" He walked over and greeted her with a hug. "What are you doing here? And by yourself?"

"That's a very interesting story, but I'm not alone. Your moronic brother is paying for not listening to me."

"Brother is here? Great!" Al started to open the door to the shack, but Winry quickly stopped him.

"Uh, you might want to wait a few minutes." Al looked up and read the sign. He knew a few Xingese characters now, and this was a familiar one.

"Oh. But I'm really glad you're here. I kept calling the house when I heard about the war, but no one answered."

"No one?"

"Nope. I was worried something bad happened. I even called Mustang yesterday to see if he knew what was going on."

"What did he say?" Al shook his head.

"Also no answer. The phone didn't even ring. When I saw the news today, I-"

"Al!" Ed finished purging out the foul plant water and rushed out of the shack to hug his little brother.

"Brother! You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay." Ed rolled his eyes. "It's just diar-"

"Ew, no! That's not what I meant. Did you know Central surrendered today?"

"No. No I didn't."

"I was scared something terrible happened to you. Nobody answered my letters or calls."

"We were in Aerugo. Sorry if I had you so worried. Hey, Winry?" She looked at Ed quizzically. "Why don't you talk to Mei and figure out why you've been sick." Winry looked in the direction Ed was indicating and she saw Mei giving food to some refugees.

"Okay." It was obvious Ed wanted to talk to Al in private, so she agreed and went to talk to Mei.

"Brother, what do you mean? Is Winry not well?"

"I don't know. She's been having terrible mood swings and stomach pains. I thought it was just, well, you know, girl things. But this has been going on for two weeks. I think she caught a disease or something from being in a different country."

"Oh. Mei should be able to help her. How was Aerugo, anyway?" Al could see his older brother blush slightly.

"Fine. If I wasn't so worried about Amestris, it would've been like a real vacation. And what about you? Do you live in one of these tents?"

"No, I live with Mei."

"Do you, now?" Ed smiled mischievously.

"I don't live with her. I just meant I live with her clan in a different town!" Now it was the younger brother's turn to blush. Ed chuckled softly and hugged his brother again. Even though it had been almost three years since Al regained his body, Ed still loved the satisfaction of hugging his brother in the flesh.

"Al, have you heard anything else about Amestris?"

"People are arrested everyday for being alchemists, and no one is really sure what happens to them. There have been many different rumors, but we aren't sure which ones are true. Most of these refugees are not alchemists, but even the slight accusation of being an alchemist is enough to get captured. I know there is a giant wall being built to prevent people from leaving the area, and I think Brigg's is the only place that hasn't been annexed to Creta yet." The brothers shuddered at the thought of anyone trying to claim General Armstrong's fortress as their own.

"What are you doing with all of these refugees?"

"I'm a smuggler. I cross the desert everyday and bring people here."

"Wow, Al, I didn't think you were the type to break the law." Ed felt a little prideful for his little brother.

"It's not illegal here." It was funny for Ed to see Al trying to defend himself. "Ling is the one in charge. He sends out groups everyday to help fleeing Amestrians. We're trying to get as many people here as possible before that wall cutting off the desert is built."

"Huh, I guess the idiot prince isn't stupid, after all."

"He's the emperor now, and he's already managed to join the clans together. Actually, he is still supposed to be here until tomorrow. Would you like to see him?" Ed was curious to know what Ling was planning; it could be vital for saving Amestris and countless innocent people.

"That would be great. Then I can finally relax after that long trip through the desert."

"Oh, your leg."

"Yeah, but at least at night it wasn't so hot." Al took Ed to a large yellow tent and the two sat down on some plushy pillows.

"Ling! I brought a guest." The smell of cooking meat overpowered the room. A few days in the desert did its toll on Ed stomach, so his mouth began to uncontrollably water.

"Ed! It's great to see you, friend!" Ling rushed into the room and squeezed Ed tightly, so he could barely breathe.

"Can'breeh." Ed gasped and he tried his best to shove the idiot away.

"What?" Ling loosed his grip and Ed escaped from the clamp of death.

"No touchy." He pointed a finger at the emperor.

"Aw, but you and Al hug all the time." Ling whined and Ed scoffed at him. They were both adults now, there was no need to sound like a bratty child.

"He's my brother."

"And what does that make me?"

"Thankfully, no relations by marriage or blood."

"At least not yet." Ling responded in a sing-song voice, to which Ed harshly stared down his little brother who was pretending to ignore the conversation.

"Al?" His little brother seemed to take great interest in a fly that was buzzing around the room.

"Hmm?" Al looked away and made sure he didn't meet his brother's gaze. Ed could tell Al's face was turning a dark shade of pink.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Ed made sure Al could tell he wasn't mad when he spoke. Sometimes Al had trouble differentiating playful teasing from seriousness.

"Well," Al looked at Ling and Ed with innocent, pleading eyes. "I really like her. A lot. You're not mad, are you?" Ling and Ed both laughed in response.

"Of course not! My little brother is finally turning into a man." Ed wrestled his hand through his brother's hair, which quickly became a short, tangled mess.

"So, when's the big day?" Ling nudged Al's side with his elbow.

"I didn't ask her yet. I want to wait a little bit." Al looked at his older brother for reassurance.

"Do whatever makes you happy, Al." Al smiled shyly. "So, Ling, what have you got planned for helping Amestris?" The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and both Ling and Al's smiles vanished.

"We are going to continue smuggling people in until the desert is cut off. After that, we'll have to wait until this problem solves itself."

"So you're going to do nothing?" Ed growled and could feel his anger boiling.

"I'm sorry. Xing just got out of a never-ending civil war; we don't have what it takes to fight against three of the most powerful militaristic countries. We would be crushed."

"You have some of the most amazing fighters around, I think you can stand a chance."

"Brother," Al spoke calmly to ease the tension in the room. "Ling is right. Xing is a healing country. They're not ready."

"What do you want me to do? Sit here idly while my home is ravaged by war?"

"Yes. Sometimes, I think that you think you're still in the military. Brother, you can't get involved in this."

"So you want me to sit back and relax while everyone else is in danger?"

"Ed, I think you're missing a key point." Ling raised up a finger. "We are taking in as many of your people as possible. Many Amestrians fled here, so the majority of people living in Amestris are from foreign countries, anyway."

"What about the ones that are still there?"

"And that's where we come in. We'll keep on bringing Amestrians until it becomes impossible. If you want to help, I'm sure your brother would love for you to accompany him on his missions."

"Yeah, that would be great! The only problem is your leg might get painful from being in the heat." Ed waved his hand down nonchalantly in response to Al's concern.

"Eh, I'll manage. It's not that bad."

"Good. I'm going back into the desert in an hour."

"Before the two of you go, let's eat. I'm starving!" Of course, the ever so greedy Ling had food on the top of his priorities. Food was a commodity around here, and being the emperor had its perks when it came to getting good food.

A roasted pig sat on the table, which was surrounded by strange looking foods that Ed already decided he was not going to touch. Al was brave and put a few of the nasty pieces in his bowl and didn't hesitate to stuff them in his mouth. Ed played it safe and only took recognizable pieces of pork, along with a heaping pile of rice.

"It smells so good in here." The three boys turned their heads around and saw Mei and Winry standing there. "Do you mind if we join you?"

"Of course not." Ed responded while swallowing his food. "So, are you feeling better? I know Mei is an excellent healer." Mei and Winry shot a knowing glance at each other, then they smiled at Ed.

"Of course. I've never been better. Now give me some food!" Winry pushed Ed aside and slopped various foods into her bowl. Amongst the mass of food, Ed could see she had some pretty strange things that resembled eyeballs and pureed stomach acid. He cringed and suddenly lost his appetite.

"That's gross." He said while covering his mouth with his hand, and Winry plopped one of the nasties into her mouth. "Uh, Al, let's get ready for the mission." Al nodded his head in agreement; he clearly thought the girls' choice of food was nauseating.

* * *

Ed made sure plenty of water was packed into the large vehicle. He didn't want to have a repeat of the earlier incident with cactus water. Al was in the tent grabbing a few more things and telling Mei he would be back soon.

"Al, you're going to jinx yourself." Ed stated casually when the two of them boarded the vehicle and Al gave the driver the signal to go.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say bye to Winry?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere. When you say good-bye to someone, it sounds like you don't plan on seeing them soon. That's why I think you're going to jinx yourself."

"That's ridiculous." Al laughed lightly, and Ed joined him.

"You're probably right. So, what exactly do we have to do?"

"Well, it's not that exciting. We drive into the desert until we find a specific tree, then we wait until a group of five people or so show up on horseback. We tie the horses up to be picked up later, and we take the refugees back to camp."

"What happens when the travelers are followed?" Al frowned and seemed to deeply ponder the question.

"That hasn't happened yet." Ed nodded and looked out the window. It wasn't a good idea to not have a plan ready in case something bad like being followed was to happen. The sun was still proudly in the sky, so a large, single tree was not hard to spot in the distance.

"There's the tree." The driver parked the car in the shade, and the three waited in silence as they scanned the horizon for movement.

"Hey, look over there." Ed pointed to a small dust cloud. "Is that them?"

"Yep." Al confirmed and seven brown horses came into view. They went from a steady trot to a gallop in seconds. The travelers were undoubtedly excited to see the landmark, and an even bigger dust cloud rose into the sky as the horses moved quickly toward the tree.

The group of seven was comprised of four women, two men, and a small girl. Ed glanced at the horizon again and saw another small cloud of dust.

"Did you get separated from your group?" Ed asked and he pointed to the cloud. Everyone stared at it with horror and panic, and he knew something was wrong. The group had been followed.

Ed ran to the car and threw the big barrel of water out since the vehicle was only designed to carry five people; there were ten of them there. Quickly, he and Al placed the women and child in the seats. The two men pushed themselves into the trunk.

"Get in." Ed demanded his younger brother.

"What about you?" Al never looked so frightened in his life. If whoever was chasing them caught up, Al could be taken away for being an alchemist.

"I'll take the horses and distract them." The cloud, as well as the threat, was coming closer. Eventually, Al was positioned awkwardly into the trunk, but at least he would be safe.

"Brother! What about Winry? She's-" The engine roared to life and Al was cut off, but Ed could see his words forming.

"Tell her to wait for me. I always come back, Al. Bye." Ed waved to the driver, and the car sped off. Quickly, Ed went to the horses and looked through their saddle bags. One of them contained a blanket, which was perfect for what he was going to do.

Ed harnessed the horses together and attached the blanket to them so it was laying against the sand. Carefully, Ed mounted the smallest horse, and he urged them into a gallop. The swirling dust cloud from the blanket was enormous, and much larger than one from a car would cause. He knew the threat would be more interested in the large cloud, and it turned out he was right. A large military truck came into view, so Ed loosened the rope keeping the horses together so he wouldn't be slowed down.

The poor horse had already made a long journey through the desert, and her breathing became heavy and staggered. He patted the mare's neck and hoped she had the will to keep going. The vehicle was much faster than the struggling horse, and it soon drove beside Ed.

"Stop!" A gruff voice yelled when the window was rolled down. Ed knew his steed wouldn't last much longer. "Freeze!" The man pulled out a handgun and shot the horse when Ed made no indication to slow down.

Ed clutched the horse's sweaty neck as she plummeted to the ground. He knew it would've been more dangerous to be flung off rather than fall with her. Fortunately, the mare fell to the left, so she was on top of Ed's automail leg. If it had been his right, it would most likely be broken now. Either way, this was a bad situation; he was pinned underneath a thousand-pound horse.

Three men wearing Cretan uniforms jumped out of the car and surrounded the dying horse and Ed. One of them snapped an anti-alchemy bracelet around his right wrist, and then they pried the horse off of him. While he was still dazed, the men searched his clothes, but found nothing.

"You're not Xingese." Ed squinted his eyes with frustration at the stupid comment. Of course he looked nothing like a Xing native! "What's your name?" If the dry desert air didn't cause his mouth to feel so parched, he would've spat on the men.

"None of your business." He growled out.

"Very well. Put him with the others." He was taken to the back of the truck, and shackled to his seat with five other people. They didn't have the same confused look Ed had; they looked frightened, like they knew exactly what was going to happen to them. Ed didn't know what happened to accused alchemists, but he bet it wasn't very pleasant.

For the whole duration of the ride, the Cretans constantly demanded Ed to tell them his name. He remained silent most of the time, but answered with an occasional 'screw you'. Once or twice, he even tried to lash out against his captors, but his movement was too limited to cause harm.

Once they left the desert, Ed could see the large wall Ling and Al were talking about. It looked enormous from the distance, and it was amazing something so large was being built so quickly by hand.

The truck came to a stop and the back was opened. The detainees were unshackled from their seats, but they remained bound to each other. After a quick glance, Ed knew he recognized this place. It was a fairground where farmers went to sell and buy livestock. He had been to a horse auction once, for some silly mission he had in his second week of service.

They had led the horse into the auction barn and walked it around in circles. Before the bidding started, people could examine it in the stables to see if they wanted to buy it. The whole thing had been boring to watch, but that memory was beginning to make Ed wonder why they were being sent here.

Maybe the prisons were overflowing and they had no where else to put the captured alchemists. Ed and the others were led into a stable barn, and each prisoner was placed into a metal cell after they were measured and a piece of paper was attached to the door.

Ed was the last one to be placed into a stable, and he made sure he fought back when the soldiers attempted to measure his height. Somehow, they were able to make an accurate measurement and they clasped a different bracelet around his left wrist. After much hitting, kicking, and swearing, most of Ed's clothes were torn off and he was pushed into the holding cell with only his boxers.

After several minutes of waiting, Ed made sure the soldiers were gone. He slipped his hand through the bars and snatched the piece of paper and read it intently.

"_Name: Unknown. _

_Auction number 204._

_Height: 5'5._

_Sire: Unknown._

_Dam: Unknown._

_State Affiliation: Unknown and Unlikely._

_Age: Unknown; Approx. 16 years._

_Temperament: Stubborn and aggressive; ill-tempered overall. Would be best for field work_."

It certainly looked like paperwork for a horse to be sold. Not a whole lot was known about the particular animal, and it didn't look like it had a good behavior, so it would be difficult to sell. Uninterested, Ed glanced at the top to see the auction number.

Ed looked at the number again, and then he looked at the new bracelet on his left hand. The number 204 was written on it.


	5. Sold!

** Holy cow, the last chapter was filled with dialogue! Well, here's another short chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

There was no way this was happening. Ed expected alchemists were simply thrown in jail, but this was worse. Sure, many of the rumors seemed terrible, and they were likely untrue. It turned out one of the rumors was indeed a fact; alchemists were being forced into slavery, a fate worse than a painless death.

204. Ed had been degraded down to a number. He had to find a way out of here before something terrible happened. Al, Winry, and everyone else were expecting him to come back, and they wouldn't be able to come into Amestris to help him.

"Hey! You're not allowed to read." Ed didn't hear the man enter the barn, and he cursed silently to himself when the brute tore the informational paper out of his hands. "Stupid boy." He hissed and walked over to the large sliding door on the side of the building. The man pushed the groaning door open, which revealed a large group of waiting people.

Fearing the worst, Ed retreated to the far corner of the stable and sat down. There was nothing for him to use as a weapon. The only thing he had right now was his underwear, and he didn't feel like using those for a miraculous escape. He scratched his head and tried to come up with a plan, which led him to discover he had a small asset. His hair tie.

He quickly loosened his hair and hid the ribbon in his hand. The people were talking loudly while they observed the prisoners in the other stables. Ed shuffled his body so his back was facing the bars, and he set his forehead on his knees. In a strange way, Ed was glad he was here, because if he wasn't, Al would've been in this position.

"And we found this one in the desert." It was the same man who scolded Ed for reading. He could hear the group breathing and murmuring loudly.

"You don't know much about him; not even a name. Is he dumb?" Ed scrunched his nose with frustration, but he did not turn his head to look at the people.

"No, he talks. He wouldn't tell us who he was."

"You shoulda beat it outta 'im." A different voice spoke.

"Nah, we can't have them too beat up before auction." Ed could tell if the man had been allowed to harm him, he wouldn't have hesitated to do so.

"That's quite the scar on his back." At first, Ed didn't know what scar the person was talking about. Then he remembered the Baschool incident where he was impaled with a metal beam. That caused a lot of damage.

"He's a reckless brat." He heard those words plenty of times from Mustang, but never with that tone of malice and pure hate. "Well, his starting bid will be cut in half because of his disability." The bastard went too far; his automail did not hinder him in any way, usually.

Ed ferociously pounced up and tore his arms through the bars. He used his hair tie to connect his hands, and he looped his arms around the man's head. Quickly, Ed harshly smashed the idiot's face against the door's bars.

"Who's a cripple, now!?" He snarled and the man's nose started to bleed. Someone must've found his bracelet's shock remote, because a jolt of electricity shot up his arm. He let go of the man so he could grab his wrist in a feeble attempt to stop the pain.

"Might have to put that one down." Ed could hear someone say as the group walked out of the barn. He sat back down and realized he wouldn't be able to escape using force.

Not too long after the group left, two Cretans came to take the prisoners out of the stables. They must've been informed about Ed's outburst, since he was given more shackles and attention than the other five.

The prisoners, (Ed still couldn't bring himself to call them slaves. It just couldn't be true!) were taken out of the holding barn to be taken to the auction barn. There was a large banner above the doors that read, 'Alchemists for the People!'.

"That's twisted." Ed muttered to himself, and they were taken into the auction barn to be chained to slightly elevated platforms. Ed couldn't help but notice he was the shortest detainee, so he straightened up in an attempt to make himself look prideful and tall.

People swarmed over to the platform, and they all talked at once while intently staring down the six prisoners. Ed could feel the people staring at his automail and various scars. He made sure he gave everyone that looked him a dirty glare; he didn't want to give the people the satisfaction of knowing he was truly terrified.

"Oh, this one looks strong." A woman with her husband commented. If Ed's feet weren't shackled to the ground, he would've kicked them all to show just how strong he was. Eventually, the people were dispersed and the corral gate was shut. A man stood in front of Ed and checked his bracelet to see the number.

"Alright!" The auctioneer's voice boomed. "First up, we have number 204! The bidding starts at a hundred." The man spoke quickly and incoherently. Ed wondered for a moment if auction people had their own little language made up for these occasions. He sputtered out fast nonsense, and no one had raised their hand. Ed's heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest.

Just as the auctioneer was going to move on to the next prisoner, a paddle raised into the air.

"Do I hear 120? Once, twice, sold!" The man moved over and continued to sell off the others. Ed was unchained and placed into a holding corral until whoever had bid on him came to collect him. The corral was made for holding animals, not people, so he could easily slip through the wooden rails if he wanted to. Unfortunately, a large man was standing next Ed with very watchful eyes.

The other prisoners' bidding started at 200, and plenty of people raised their hands. Their ending bids ranged from 400 to 800, which made Ed upset. He wasn't sad because his own sale had been cheap; he was disappointed that those five prisoners had given up so easily.

When the auction was over, Ed's numbered bracelet was snipped off and a woman was handed his paperwork. She didn't look like a scary lady; she looked kind. It didn't matter if she was nice, she still had Ed's ownership papers, which he really felt the inclination to shred into tiny pieces.

She grabbed the chains that were around his hands, and the woman led him out of the corral.

"Careful, ma'am, that one's vicious." The man that spoke sounded like he had a cold, and when Ed looked up, he realized it was the man he gave a broken nose to.

"Don't worry, we'll fix that." The woman smiled and led Edward away, but not before he managed to threateningly punch a fist into his palm. The mortified look on the man's face was priceless, and he took a quick step back while placing both hands over his nose.

Ed was taken through a parking lot, which was filled with people staring at him. The woman opened a side door of a car and she handed him a bundle of brown clothes. She carefully undid his shackles so he could put on the clothes with ease, and she did not put the bindings back on. The way she was looking at him almost looked like she expected him to bolt. Ed was smart enough to not make an escape here, since there were so many people around.

"Sweetie, what's this?" Ed whipped his head around to see a tall man, who he assumed was the woman's husband. He didn't appreciate being referred to as 'this'.

"Oh, a present." Ed crossed his arms when the woman was obviously speaking about him like he was a pet.

"I told you not to buy anything."

"You've been complaining how hard it is working on the farm by yourself, so I bought him to fix that problem. Plus, he was cheap."

"Fine. Let me see his papers." Ed didn't know how to react. He wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything to say. This whole situation was not only messed up, but awkward as well. The husband finished reading the short bit of information, then he glared at Ed, probably as a result of reading the part where he was violent.

"If you do any funny business," The man was practically in Ed's face. "you will regret it. Let's go." Ed sat in the back seat when the door was opened for him, and the woman took the wheel when they drove away from the dreaded fairground. If these people lived in the country, there was a way he could easily escape.

They drove through the city, and Ed was disappointed to see several buildings, all libraries, had been burned to the ground. He figured alchemy books would've been destroyed, but not an entire building. Soon the city went out of view and they were driving on an unkempt dirt road. They turned into a driveway and the car was parked.

The small farmhouse sported the Aerugo flag, and there was a half-built barn behind it. Since it was still winter, the fields were empty, save for a small herd of cattle and sheep. A few chickens scattered when the three got out of the car.

"What's your name?" The woman inquired, since nobody knew anything about him. Ed hung his head low and decided not to respond.

"Are you deaf, Boy?" The man asked harshly. He shook his head in response and tried to stare the both of them down. Since they lived in a rural area, he might be able to run away undetected. "Then speak when you're spoken to!"

"I'm Ed." He didn't plan on giving them any more than that. These people didn't deserve to know who he was, and he planned on high-tailing it out of there as soon as possible.

"Better. Come on, we've got work to do." Ed reluctantly followed the sour man to the field. He was taken to a shed full of square hay bales. "Take five bales to the field, and meet me by the gate when you are done."

"Yes, sir." Ed replied dryly as he grabbed one of the bales. He took the hay into the field, and every instinct in his body told him to run. Of course, he wasn't going to even try to escape until the couple was fast asleep. He repeated the process of taking the hay to the field four more times, and he returned to the gate.

"Good. Now take this over to that pen." Ed picked up a bucket of feed and poured the corn into the indicated food trough. A young ram and heifer galloped over and quickly engulfed the food. He had seen plenty of sheep in Resembool, but he had never actually gotten the chance to take care of one. After taking care of the larger animals, Ed tossed some grain to the chickens and he collected a few eggs.

None of his tasks were overly grueling, but by the end of the day, he felt exhausted. Once the sun started to set, the man took Ed to a small wooden shed. Inside was a very old mattress and a yellowed pillow, as well as various blankets. There was a small window, but it was barely big enough for even a chicken to fit through.

"You will stay here. Wake up first thing in the morning and we'll start fixing up the barn. Here." The man gave Ed a small plate of mashed potatoes and a slice of bread. The door clicked behind him, and Ed quickly devoured the warm food. He finished eating and waited until he could see the moon drift slowly to the center of the sky. Carefully, Ed pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. Of course, it was locked.

Sleep sounded like the next best thing to do, since he couldn't escape tonight. He sighed and flopped onto the dingy mattress. Ed grabbed some of the blankets and wrapped them around himself. He wasn't usually cold, but he had been sleeping with a second person for over a month, so it was strange to suddenly not have Winry by his side.

The work he was forced to do didn't seem too strenuous, but the farm was small and there were no crops yet to take care of. The people, or his owners he reminded himself, did not seem like cruel people. Sure, the husband was strict, but he hadn't beat or hurt Ed when he accidentally dropped and broke an egg. This situation could have been a hell of a lot worse than it currently was. He just hoped his owners didn't change their minds.

* * *

**Mustang is coming soon, I promise.**


	6. Eviction

**I'm too lazy to PM people individually, so I'll respond here.**

** Wolves Run Free- I do like to update quickly, or I go insane from not being able to start on the next chapter. Thanks!**

** A Mysterious Illusion- Yes, you are a terrible person. :)**

** Bluefire21-I think a broken nose (not his own) was the only damage last chapter. Well, Mustang is coming in about a few seconds.**

** Not so human- I figured since his back was facing the people, that would be the most prominent scar. Plus, his long hair would've covered his shoulder, so that scar wouldn't be as visible from a slight distance. **

** Fangirl2013- I don't think he's being obedient, I just think he's being patient. He's trying to gain their trust so it will be easier to escape. After all, he is 19, so he does plan ahead a little bit.**

** Thanks, everyone!**

* * *

January 23rd, 1917.

Damn Cretans and Drachmans. That's all Roy could think about. They were advancing closer to Central everyday, and they had the nerve to annex the western part of Amestris into Creta. Of course, Roy tried his best to make sure the enemy didn't come any closer to the capital, but they were short on manpower. The Drachman soldiers had no need to break through Briggs, so they poured into Amestris by going through Creta.

Aerugo's leaders hadn't answered any of Roy's calls, which was starting to make him nervous. They should have come to aid Amestris weeks ago, but it seemed like all ties had been cut.

"Colonel Mustang!" A boisterous woman stormed into the room, with a look of terror on her face. The sudden outburst caused everyone, except Riza, to jump slightly. "Fuhrer Grumman has been assassinated!"

"What!? No, now is not the time! I…we…uh…" Roy didn't know how to react, or what to say; there was too much going on all at once.

"Colonel, what do we do?" Riza spoke calmly, but with authority, which allowed Roy to clear his head. Amestris was spiraling into chaos as it was, the news of the assassinated leader would only add to the madness.

"Alright, nobody panic. How many people have you told?" Roy asked the woman.

"I came to you first."

"Good. Make sure this doesn't get out, and tell everyone that knows about this to stay silent." She saluted him and rushed off. Roy's subordinates were giving him strange glances, and Riza placed a hand over her gun holster.

"Sir?" She questioned, obviously thinking her superior was up to something dirty.

"We'll tell the people eventually, just not right now. We can't have the enemy thinking we are defenseless."

"Sir, did it occur to you it was the enemy who assassinated the Fuhrer?"

"Yes, and it probably was. Hopefully Aerugo answers our call and comes quickly. Central will be overrun soon, and we need all the help we can get." People screamed and shouted outside of the building, so Roy casually glanced out the window to see what was the matter. In the distance, the Drachman and Cretan armies were in sight, rampaging and attacking everything around them. "Damn it!" They weren't estimated to arrive for a few more days. Central was not ready for this battle.

Roy knew alchemists were the desired targets for capture, but he guaranteed the enemy wouldn't hesitate to take his entire team into custody. If the rumors were true about slavery, well…he didn't want to think about that. Right now, he had to get his subordinates into safety.

"All of you need to go to Xing. Ask Emperor Ling for assistance, and we'll be able to turn this thing around."

"What about you, Sir?" Riza had been the only one to catch the fact Roy didn't plan on going with them.

"I'll catch up with you. I'm going to distract them while the rest of you leave." To this, Riza crossed her arms.

"We want to stay and fight." It did seem like a cowardly thing to flee, but it was better to live and fight another day. If they stayed and tried to fend off the army, they would either be captured or killed, which was something Roy didn't want on his conscious.

"It was not a request."

"Roy…" He turned his head back toward the window to avoid Riza's pleading gaze. She never, under any circumstance, ever called him by first name while in the workplace. That's how Roy knew Riza understood what he was doing; he planned on sacrificing himself so she and the others weren't captured and possibly sold off like animals.

"Enough talking. Hurry up and go!" Roy was saluted and his team quickly left to find asylum in Xing. He felt better knowing his subordinates would be safe, since they stood a little chance against the enormous advancing army. Roy was pretty much the only alchemist in Central, since all the others either fled or were captured.

He didn't plan on going down without a fight; Riza had destroyed the bracelet around his wrist when he returned from Creta, so he could freely use his flame alchemy. There was one positive aspect for this dire situation; no paperwork to file.

When he observed the soldiers, he could make out the black uniforms of the Drachman soldiers, and dark green from the Cretans. Occasionally, there was someone wearing red, which was the color for Aerugo. That couldn't be right, they were supposed to be on Amestris's side. The sight that fell before his eyes disproved that; three major countries were attacking Central, completely ignoring any previous peace treaties. At least Xing was still on their side, but the large desert might prove to be difficult for Ling to send in reinforcements.

Roy made a list of people in his mind to make sure everyone he knew was safe. His own team was on its way to Xing, so they were fine. Major Armstrong went out to Briggs a few days before to convince General Armstrong to join their family in the east. Roy doubted she would leave, but he didn't plan on interfering; that woman would be perfectly fine on her own. His foster mother and the Hughes' family were currently in Xing, as was Alphonse Elric. So far, so good. Edward and Winry were safe in the hotel.

Then Roy remembered a key point. That hotel was deep in the heart of Aerugo, which was now an enemy country. Frantically, he tore through a stack of useless paperwork to look for the hotel's number. It was originally sitting on his desk, but the little paper was shoved aside when he figured he wouldn't have a use for it.

"Damn! Where is it?" Roy snapped his fingers and took delight incinerating the papers, while not caring if the number was stashed away in the stack. After burning several things in the room, he discovered the number had been place underneath the telephone, which Riza put there so he wouldn't forget about it.

He dialed the number and heard it ring several times. Was he too late? Maybe Ed had already been captured.

"Hello?" Roy had never felt so relieved to hear that voice.

"Aerugo lied. Get out of there."

"Mustang? Is that-?" Roy didn't have time to explain to the boy what was going on. The enemy would be there any minute, and it was his job to distract them from fleeing Amestrians. He hung up the phone and hoped Ed would be smart enough to escape to Xing, which was probable since that's where Al was.

A loud boom of a canon shook the building; the standoff was beginning. Roy opened the window and snapped his fingers. An enormous wall of fire engulfed the streets, which made a temporary protective wall for Central Command. He ran to the Fuhrer's office and found a control panel with various colored buttons, and then he hit the white button.

"Code White. Evacuate the area immediately." An automated voice on the intercom rang throughout the building and the city. Everyone in Central should have been either gone or leaving by now, but it was best to be safe. With that taken care of, Roy headed to his lookout spot to see where the enemy was.

They were still far enough back so any remaining people had enough time to flee. Once the fire died down, he quickly created another one and repeated the process. After an hour, Roy figured everyone should be gone by now, so he could get down to business. He slipped out the back exit and hid next to an abandoned house, waiting for the command center to be stormed by the enemy.

Finally, Roy could hear the soldiers shouting orders, which meant they were nearly inside the building. He waited for what seemed like an eternity until he could see soldiers rushing past the windows. Positive it was only the enemy swarming the building, Roy snapped and the place blew up.

Rubble went flying, and the great building was no more. Roy clapped his hands together, delighted he finally perfected the hand-clappy alchemy, and created a large rock wall to separate himself from the soldiers. He knew it wouldn't last long against cannon fire, but it gave him enough time to relocate himself.

Hunger was the first sensation that began to nag at Roy's consciousness. That was quickly followed by fatigue, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape to Xing in his tired, famished condition, so he looked for a safe place to rest.

He went to the nearest house, but was disappointed to discover the door was locked. Roy went around to the backyard and climbed over the wooden fence. There was a rack of drying meat hanging on a high tree branch. Next to the tree, there was a small fishing boat, which Roy boarded so he could reach the food.

Once he managed to knock the jerky out of the tree, he sat down and realized the boat seats were quite comfortable. Why someone in Central had a boat, he really didn't know. Maybe there was a pond nearby these people liked to fish in. Roy leaned back in his seat, happily munched away all the meat, and he fell into a relaxing sleep.

* * *

When Roy woke up, he immediately regretted falling asleep. He only intended on taking a rest, but he had been exhausted. The vinyl seat was comfortable, and his belly was no longer begging to be filled, so it really wasn't his fault he fell asleep in a war zone. He sat up and stretched, but froze when he could see the backyard was filled with soldiers.

"Who are you?" One of them asked. Roy thought that was a stupid question; he was still wearing his uniform, which sported his rank.

Roy stood up proudly and regally announced, "My name is Roy Mustang. You destroyed my country. Prepare to die." He was about ready to snap, but he was rudely interrupted by a few soldiers attacking him from behind. They pushed the boat so Roy would lose his balance, which seemed like a stupid thing to do. What he failed to realize was it was just a distraction to catch him off guard.

As soon as he turned to apprehend the soldiers who were trying to climb on the boat, more soldiers came from behind. One of them managed to attach something to his ankle, and that soldier met Roy's angry foot. He didn't hesitate to snap his fingers, but he was flabbergasted when nothing happened. Well, something did happen; an electric shock hit him in the leg. The damn thing around his ankle was one of those stupid alchemy bracelets.

"Hey! Look over there!" He shouted, which caused many of the soldiers to turn their heads in the pointed direction. Roy laughed to himself and turned the key that was in the ignition so he could make his miraculous escape. There was one little flaw with his plan; he was in a boat. "Damn!" He proclaimed to himself.

"Stay where you are!" Someone demanded, and Roy couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm on a boat." He stated obviously. It's not like he could go anywhere when he was surrounded by armed soldiers, and he couldn't use alchemy. He didn't even have a gun on him. Overall, this whole situation was horribly planned. Roy really hoped everyone was near the desert right now, or this was all for nothing.

Roy was taken out of the boat, handcuffed and another anti-alchemy bracelet was placed on his right wrist, and a band with a number on it was placed on his left. He was taken to a military jeep and they drove south. He was impressed with all the devastation he caused, which was a perfect distraction for the soldiers so they wouldn't follow anybody to the desert.

The drive south was about an hour long, and Central was no longer in sight. As they drove through various towns, Roy spotted several burnt buildings, which were at one time flourishing libraries. People with dark skin wandered around the street, and Roy knew these people were not Amestrian. As of now, the country of Amestris no longer existed. All regions of the country had been annexed into Drachma, Aerugo, and Creta. Those country's citizens came pouring into the empty land to fill the spots that had been abandoned by the Amestrians.

A large barn packed with people came into view, and the car stopped. Roy could see several people chained to a pedestal, and it was apparent they were being sold. He was not taken to the stable barn like the other prisoners were, instead, he was led to a large makeshift cell. He was given an old black suit to put on, and someone gave him a plate of seasoned noodles.

He put on the clean clothes and greedily ate his food. The other prisoners, he noticed, were giving him malicious glares. They weren't given any food, and the only clothing they wore were their undergarments. Roy seemed to be getting special treatment, but he couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was some sort of messed up plot to get everyone to hate him, and if it was, it was working.

After he finished eating, Roy grabbed the piece of paper that was tacked to the bars.

"Name: Roy Mustang.

Auction number 11.

State Affiliation: Yes. Flame Alchemist.

Age: 32 years.

Temperament: Stubborn, clever, and laid-back. Recommended for house work."

Starting bid: 5,000."

Roy scoffed at the paper. He wasn't laid-back, he was constantly worrying about his subordinates and everyone else he knew. He hadn't lashed out at his captors only because that would get him nowhere. This problem had to be solved carefully with critical thinking; he wasn't going to escape if he attacked these people. As soon as he did figure a way out of this, Creta and the other countries were going to be in a world of pain.

* * *

Present

The week had gone by rather quickly, which Ed was grateful for. Right now, he was helping the husband, Carl, with fixing the barn's roof. Every night when he returned to his sleeping area, he used his automail foot to pry the nails out of the boards on the wall. He made a hole big enough, so he could easily slip through and escape.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked when Ed was dreamily gazing at the horizon.

"Fixing the roof."

"I didn't mean that. Why are you still here?" Ed stared at him and raised an eyebrow. Maybe it was some sort of trick question.

"Because it's not time for lunch." Ed answered carefully and continued to hammer nails into the roof.

"I see the look in your eyes when you stare off into the distance. I found out about your little escape route." Ed's eyes opened wide, and he intently stared at the man. "I'm just wondering why you haven't run off yet."

"I was waiting." Ed knew his cover had been blown, and there was no way he could cover that up.

"For what? I wouldn't care if you left right now. I wouldn't stop you. You know the layout of the land, and the best route to escape." Ed could tell he was serious. He just wanted to know why Carl felt that way.

"What's your deal? Ever since I've been here, you've treated me…fairly." He was confused. Slavery was not a subject for the light of heart; torture, mutilation, beatings. So far, Ed had received none of that. They fed him a decent amount of food, made sure he had the proper amount of bedding, and they didn't punish him for sleeping in late or other little things like that.

"Kid, you're not even an alchemist, are you?"

"No I'm not."

"I didn't think so. You're just an innocent bystander who was unfortunate enough to be accused of being one. These days, being Amestrian is enough proof of being an alchemist. I don't believe the garbage our government is feeding us."

"If that's true, then why do you have me?" It was clear the man didn't condone the enslavement of Amestrians, but that didn't make sense if he owned a slave.

"My wife is a kind woman." He chuckled to himself. "You were very close to not being bought. Do you know what happens to the ones that aren't sold?" Ed shook his head. "They're sent to build the wall cutting off the desert. None of them are given food or water. Most of them die within a day." He was right, Ed's sale had almost ended with no bidders.

"Fine, if you don't agree with slavery, and you only bought me to save me, then why can't I sleep in the house?" Ed didn't think that was fair. The animals at night were extremely annoying and it was hard for him to fall asleep.

"We're all being watched. I'm part Amestrian, so when they found out we acquired you, we had no choice but to treat you this way so they didn't get suspicious. Oh, speak of the devil." A car pulled into the driveway and two men came out.

Carl motioned Ed to follow him so they could greet the men.

"Can I help you, sirs?"

"Your farm has been repossessed."

"What? Why? Surely there must be a mistake."

"There is no mistake; your payments the past few weeks have been inadequate. We sent you a notice to leave the house by today."

"I received no such letter!" He spat out. Three trucks with wagons hitched to them came and parked on the side of the road.

"We're sorry you feel that way. This land and everything in it is now Cretan private property. We already have a buyer down south willing to buy all of your livestock."

"You can't do this!" Several people were herding the sheep, cows, and chickens into the wagons. Carl's cries of outrage and protest were ignored completely, and all the animals were loaded up.

"This is ridiculous. You guys are idiots." Ed growled to one of the men. The man glanced at him and slapped him across the face.

"Know your place, scum." Ed quickly got over his shock of being hit, and he made a move to attack the man. He had his fist ready to hit the moron, but the other man with him grabbed Ed's arm.

"Ah, we'll be taking him, too."

"Why?" Carl looked panic-stricken.

"He's a part of this property, and we were ordered to deliver _all_ the livestock to the buyer." There was nothing that could be done in this situation. If the family opposed, they would end up in Ed's position, which would lead them nowhere. Reluctantly, Ed was taken to the metal wagons, and he was thrown in with the chickens, which were in his mind, the most annoying and smelliest of the three animals.

The truck engines roared to life, and they started to make their trek south. Ed knew hardly anyone had the same mindset of that family. His chances of being sold to a kind person were extremely slim, and he was already brainstorming up ideas to escape from this hellhole.


	7. Rebellion

** A Mysterious Illusion: You are a terrible person…Which is why I like you…**

** Breyannia: Thanks for reviewing! Ass kicking shall entail.**

** Fangirl2013: Yep. It had to be done.**

** Wolves Run Free: You can thank Mysterious Illusion for the boat scene. It was her fault. :)**

** Not so human: Ah! Calm down! Geeze, you guys weren't supposed to notice that until later…just be patient. Roy and Ed being bought by the same person? That would be too easy. ;)**

* * *

Corn. Corn. Cotton. Corn. Wheat. More corn. Oh, look, another corn field. As they went farther south into Aerugo, corn was pretty much the only thing Ed could see. Since the climate was much warmer here, crops were grown all year long. He knew the main export of Aerugo was corn, but he didn't know there was this much of it.

The three wagons turned onto an unpaved road, and Ed knew they were soon approaching their destination. He was in a strange way glad they were almost there, since he would finally be able to get away from all of the damned birds he spent the last 48 hours with. Feathers and white chicken goop were caked all over his hair and clothes, which Ed knew he wasn't going to get the privilege to clean off.

A large white house came into view, and the trucks were parked next to a wooden fence, which surrounded a large pasture. As the cows and sheep were led off the wagons, either a blue or yellow tag was attached to the animal's ear. Most of them had yellow tags, and they were put into the pasture, while the blue ones were taken back to the wagons. The men opened the chicken wagon, and Ed was terrified they were going to do the same thing to him.

As soon as the fowls were shooed off the wagon, two men approached Ed, who didn't plan on being branded anytime soon. When they came close, Ed pressed his back against the bars and prepared to attack. He managed to kick both of them with his left leg, and they fell to the poop infested floor while holding their new injuries. Ed blindly darted to the exit, even though he knew it was a terrible idea. One of the fallen men stuck out their foot and successfully tripped him before he managed to even get out of the wagon.

Ed was quickly pinned to the floor and a yellow bracelet was clasped to his wrist. He was harshly shoved out of the wagon and a foot was on his back to keep him down.

"Take the blue ones to my brother, and take _that_ to the corn field." A well dressed man first pointed to the animals, and then to Ed. The truck engines roared to life and the wagons were taken somewhere down the road. Ed was freed from the foot, and somebody forced him up by pulling on his tangled hair.

A horse and rider rode behind Ed while he walked to the specified area. He couldn't believe how huge this farm was; actually, it was more like a plantation. The large house eventually was out of view, and the only thing that could be seen for miles was corn, people on horses, and unfortunate people taking care of the corn. Honestly, harvesting corn couldn't be that challenging.

When Ed approached the crop, he was delighted to discover the plant was much taller than himself, so it would be perfect to make an escape through. He began to pry the ears of corn of the plants, and he threw them into a wooden basket. After the rider went up the rows to make sure everyone was doing their work, Ed discretely slipped into the depths of the stalks. He walked forward with hardly any perception of where he was going.

He walked for what seemed like miles, and the rows of corn were never-ending. It was very quiet, which was a good sign he was far away from the slave drivers. The corn gradually got shorter, which meant he must be very close to the edge of the field. As it turned out, Ed was right. He had finally reached the end of the field, but he was slightly disappointed to discover there was a field of tobacco beyond the fence in front of him.

Without much thought, Ed started to head toward the fence to freedom. He jumped back when several large dogs growled and poked their heads through the plants. They appeared to be chained to the fence, which Ed figured would be an easy enough obstacle to overcome. The vicious looking dogs barked and howled ferociously when he came closer.

Several people hollered, and the sound of thundering hooves approached. Knowing who was coming, Ed retreated back into the corn and walked adjacent to the tobacco field to find a different path that didn't include mangy beasts and psychopathic slave drivers. Unexpectedly, the dogs were released and they wildly tore through the plants to find the person who had nearly attempted to escape.

Without a second thought, Ed turned around and fended off the half-feral dogs with his automail leg. It worked and the dogs eventually gave up to return to their whistling masters. Quickly, Ed darted through the field before the people decided to come in for themselves to search for whoever had disrupted the sleeping dogs. Figuring it would be best to stay on the crazies' good sides, he returned to his crate to continue picking corn. It had been hours since his venture, but he casually threw cobs into the crate like he had been doing it endlessly for the whole time.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ed didn't turn around to look at the mounted man. He knew it was a long shot to disappear like that unnoticed.

"I was…picking the best corn." It had even sounded lame in his head. His bucket had only ten ears of corn in it; not a very impressive number. The other people had three cartfuls at this point. Ed slowly turned his head to challenge the gruff man on the horse, who scoffed in response.

"You will be getting no food tonight. You better improve, or your punishment will be much more severe." With that, the man slapped his horse's side so he could watch over everyone else's progress. The sun began to set, and the riders rounded everybody up and led them to large metal shacks. Ed was taken to a building with the number 23 painted in white on the side. Once inside, his ankles were shackled to a low bar on the wall. It took all of his willpower to not lash out; he would never escape if he gave the people a reason to restrain and watch over him.

Soon enough, thirteen people were locked in the shack. Through the barred windows and door, Ed could see somebody wearing an old black suit carrying a large tray of food. The man slipped the tray of leftovers under the barred door, and everybody made a mad dash for the cold food like wild animals. After the unpleasant display of gorging food, the people found their designated area of soft dirt to fall asleep on.

Several minutes passed, and Ed fumbled with the chains in a feeble attempt to free himself. The fastenings did not budge, and he grew too fatigued to fight against them anymore. A boy no older than himself timidly sat next to him.

"Here." Ed was handed a cold, half-eaten potato, which he quickly devoured. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days, which was true since he wasn't fed at all on his journey south.

"Thanks." Ed managed to say without spurting out tuber chunks.

"Is it true you tried to escape?"

"No." He wasn't sure if the kid was trying to trick him, but the look of utter disappointment proved Ed otherwise. "I was surveying the land." He mischievously grinned, which made the boy lighten up. It was true; he planned on looking for a different escape route first thing in the morning. "Hey, how many acres does this guy own?"

"Uh, I think 5000." At the number, Ed groaned. That was nearly equivalent to eight square miles of land. "But that's not including the land master's brother owns."

"Don't call him that!" Ed shouted, which got the attention of the previously sleeping captives. "That bastard can't control us!"

"Pipe down." An older man stifled a yawn. "What are you going to do, chained like that?" To prove his point, Ed stood up and stomped on the rather thin links with his automail foot until they snapped off.

"There's plenty more of us than there are of them." He announced with a newfound energy.

"It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is! We'll refuse to work and attack them. There's no way we can be beat."

"He's right." A different voice claimed. "They can't fend us all off!" One by one, the residents of shack 23 began to cheer loudly, not caring if they were heard.

"How many slaves are here, in all?" Ed asked the boy sitting next to him.

"Almost 300."

"Perfect." Ed spoke again with a loud tone. "How are we going to get this out to them?"

"Tuesdays!" A random voice called out. Ed looked at the people with curiosity, wondering how a day of the week would help their situation.

"Nobody has to work on Tuesdays since it's one of Aerugo's holy days." Ed snorted. Religion just had to be brought into this somehow, but it was also going to be the downfall of the plantation owner because of his reckless decision to allow Tuesdays off.

"Great!" Ed raised a hand triumphantly, which enticed more cheers. "We'll be out of here soon!"

* * *

32,500. That was how much it cost for one to buy the Flame Alchemist. Roy's auction had been chaotic and brutal. Everybody else's bidding price had started at 200, but it seemed like state alchemists started at the much higher price of 5,000. There had been another state alchemist there, but it was a man Roy didn't really know or talk to. That man was sold half the price Roy went for, which was unsettling. So many people angrily placed bids on him, which made him wonder why they wanted him so bad.

As it turned out, state alchemists were almost like collector items, which was disturbing. Roy knew after discovering that bit of knowledge, he would be okay. He was taken to a fancy plantation home in Aerugo, and he wasn't going to work in the fields. His daily duties consisted of; serving tea and food, answering the door and phone, and taking the leftover food out to the shacks on Thursdays. Everyday, his clothes were washed, he could bathe as he pleased, as well as read when his work was done for the day, and he got the first pick of food when the owners were finished eating.

Overall, his forced stay in the plantation house was not unpleasant. What made the situation terrible was taking the leftovers to the field workers. Roy could tell they were treated worse than the animals, and many of them had the scars to prove it. He had to find a way out of this mess so he could save his people from this terrible fate. For now, he used most of his free time to think up ideas to make a miraculous save for Amestris.

Currently, most of his ideas were half-baked and not yet ready to be put to the test. To relieve some of his stress, Roy retreated to the quiet library room and sat down on a black suede couch. He picked up the paper from that day and made sure he wasn't too comfortable; the thoughts of all those slaves being treated worse than dogs tormented him whenever he was content with his own surroundings.

"_Although the wall cutting off the desert has been completed, Cretan forces still patrol the desert, and for good reason. A large group of people, who appeared to be Amestrian, were found wandering in the desert. When apprehended, they claimed to be looking for a lost friend. They also had Xing citizenship cards, which were most likely forged since they were obviously not of Xingese descent. Unfortunately, the group was released so the soldiers could make an important call about a revolt in a nearby plantation_."

Roy tossed the paper aside and ran his fingers through his hair. It was great Emperor Ling was giving Amestrians full citizenship, but a simple piece of paper would not stop slave gatherers from capturing them. He wondered for a moment if the people mentioned in the paper were his subordinates, but he had ordered them to leave him behind. They wouldn't have sent a search party for him in the desert, since it wasn't like he had gone missing there. If they were trying to rescue him, they would've gone to Central where they last saw him. Roy concluded someone must've vanished in the desert, and the group of Amestrians was just a random group of people.

Revolts were a common occurrence in the paper. None of them had been successful, and as time went on, everybody became too scared to rebel against their forced servitude. The reports grew less and less in numbers as the weeks dragged by. From the sound of it, the adjacent plantation was going to be the next place to experience a riot. Faintly, Roy could hear people shouting and yelling. The fact that he couldn't make out the words proved it was the close to the one he was staying in.

He hoped they would be successful; he couldn't bear to have any more of his people being harmed.

* * *

Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Ed no longer had any concept of time. He lost count of how many Tuesdays had come and passed long ago. Getting the word out of rebelling proved to be a great challenge. Along with a few other people, Ed had tried to visit the other shacks to talk with the residents, but that little escapade gained nothing, except for a harsh whip strike.

"It's done, everyone has been notified." Ed nodded his head to the messenger. He had inadvertently became the leader of the coup, and the people generally looked up to him. Good, today was the day they would finally be free from this nightmarish place.

With great haste, many people shuffled and squeezed themselves in front of shack 23. Ed lost count of how many people there were, but it was certainly not 300 people.

"Excellent. Is everyone ready now?" He received several mixed signals.

"Not exactly. There's only ten shacks that plan on rebelling." Ed mentally cursed to himself. They were still going to do this, no matter what happened. Apparently, the other thirteen shacks were too mortified to lash out against their terrifying masters.

"Fine. We still have a hundred people fighting tonight. There's no way we can lose." Some of the people looked unsure. "How many of you have families?" Everyone raised a hand. "Then fight. Do you want to see your loved ones again? Fight for them!"

The mob went from looking somber, to jumping up and down while ferociously shouting out the names of the people the longed to see again. They dispersed and rushed to their predestinated spots where they would begin the revolt.

The stables were raided and the cars were hotwired. They went through the fields and destroyed as many crops as they could. Dogs were barking, and people were shouting. Livestock was running freely when the fence keeping them enclosed was smashed to bits. Cars were driven around like drunk drivers were attempting to control the vehicle. It was hard to focus on a certain area; the whole plantation had been consumed by chaos. Everything on that end seemed to be going well, so Ed took his group toward the house.

The first thing they did was throw rocks at the elegant windows, which didn't look as fancy when they were completely demolished. Ed pompously walked up to the door and kicked it down with one confident kick. A family was huddled in the corner behind a man who was on the phone. Ed recognized the once smug looking man as the owner of the plantation, only, he wasn't too smug looking right now.

"Hello." Ed announced with as much hate as he could muster, which wasn't much of a challenge. "I'd like to have a chat with you."


	8. Punishment

** A Mysterious Illusion- Do I know you? Of course not, but it's like you anticipate my next move…Get out of my mind, demon! I'm excited for Roy! So close, yet, so far away. **

** Bluefire21- Ah, yes, the infamous boat scene. Sponsored by friendly mushroom! *Cough* Thanks!**

** Not so human- Patience, young grasshopper. We will delve into the fate of some Amestrians later. I think this story is already chaotic and messed up the way it is…I see no need to throw in a homunculus into the mess. I like you too, in a 'watching from the shadows' type of way.**

** Keystar11- Tuesdays! It's going to be the next greatest battle cry there ever was! That's okay, thanks!**

** Fangirl2013- Looks away casually and smirks evilly. **

** Wolves Run Free- Maybe…:P**

** Breyannia- Thanks for reviewing!**

** HotCrossPigeon- I managed to squeeze in your review before this chapter was finished. Thank you! I try my best to keep the characters IC, but it's a little tough, considering the circumstances.**

** Thanks, everybody!**

* * *

Roy casually walked over to the coffee table and began to fill the little cups with fresh tea, like he always did in the mornings. This morning, however, was different. The owner of the plantation, Mr. Wilson, was not here to make small talk while the drink was being poured. A frantic voice spoke in the next room, and Roy strained his ears to catch the conversation. He became distracted and the tea overflowed onto the table.

"…come over right away. My brother's slaves are revolting! Yes, I understand." Roy smiled to himself and quickly grabbed a towel to clean up his mess before anyone saw it.

"Roy!" He turned his head nonchalantly and looked at the frantic man. "Gather the others to assist my brother." Roy nodded his head and he brought the other four house workers together. Once he was sure Mr. Wilson and the other residents of the house had left, he addressed the men before him like they were preparing to go on a mission.

"There's an uprising next door. Do everything in your power to be useless, but don't make it obvious. Let's go." Roy was ecstatic the slaves were finally rebelling, and by the sounds of it, this would be the biggest one to have occurred. He didn't want to disrupt the slaves while they made demands for freedom, but he couldn't risk punishment for not obeying orders. He'd probably end up faking an injury so he could have a valid excuse for not attacking his people.

Being a house slave sure had its privileges; he and the other four were permitted to ride horses around the connected plantations. When they arrived, the destruction that befell before them was immensely unbelievable. Cars, horses, and retaliating slaves were attacking everything in sight; crops, buildings, and the slave drivers. The corn fields were completely flattened and destroyed. A large building where the paid workers lived was ablaze. From a distance, Roy could even see a group of people breaking their way into the house.

The entire place was ensnared with madness, but Roy noticed this was organized chaos. The fighting was not aimless and sporadic; no, these people knew exactly what they were doing. This rebellion had to have been planned many months earlier, and whoever the brilliant mastermind was, they had done a fantastic job. One of the groups came to apprehend Roy, which he knew was coming.

"Wait." He held a hand in front of him, which made the slaves stop for a moment to consider him. "I'm Colonel Roy Mustang. I want to help you."

"The Flame Alchemist?" Several of them gasped and looked at him apprehensively. "Yeah, right."

"It's true." Roy spoke confidently and without hesitation. "I was captured and taken here a few months ago. I will do everything in my power to make sure you all make it to safety."

"But…weren't you sent here to stop us?"

"Yes, I was told to stop the rebelling slaves, but I can't seem to find them anywhere." The people in the group smiled, but everyone, including Roy, frowned when military trucks parked in the demolished field. "We have to stop them." He urged his horse into a gallop to talk to the soldiers before a full-blown slaughter broke out.

Soldiers poured out of the trucks and several of them had their guns aimed at Roy when he came close to them.

"Hold your fire!" Amazingly, they complied and lowered their weapons.

"Who do you belong to?" One of them questioned, which made Roy's eyes twitch with irritation. They had basically asked for his master's name, and not his own.

"My name is Roy Mustang." He responded, completely ignoring the fact that was not the name they were looking for. The men looked bewildered, and they all aimed their guns away from Roy. "I'm here to assist you. Status report." The soldiers seemed to completely ignore the fact he was only a slave, and not a commanding officer.

"It's too soon to tell. We don't know of any casualties, but this is getting out of hand." With that, the soldiers began to load their weapons and take aim at the rebellious slaves.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" Roy kept a calm voice, but he was mortified. These soldiers had almost shot his people.

"Uh, crowd control." One of the soldiers answered with a gulp.

"You don't have to kill them, you idiot."

"Of course not, sir." The military men put their safeties on and they waited patiently for further instruction. Roy made sure to dilly-dally for as long as possible. Right now, those Amestrians had to find a way out of there, before they were all killed without a second thought. A large jeep drove over and a burly man stormed over to the soldiers and Roy.

"What is the meaning of this? Who ordered you to stop attacking?" All eyes turned to Roy, who looked at the man pompously. The man walked over and rolled up Roy's right sleeve, which revealed the metal bracelet reserved for slaves. "I think you all forgot about a key point. Now fire!" Roy loosened the commander's grip and he jumped off the horse.

"No, don't shoot!"

"Shut up, filth."

"I, unlike you, bathe regularly." Roy coyly smiled and waited for the insult to seep in through the man's thick skull. It seemed to take several minutes, because he made no indications to make a retort.

"Hold him down." Two men apprehensively grabbed Roy's arms and pinned them behind his back. In response, Roy threw several punches and tried to loosen the grip, which resulted with more people holding him until his hands were tied together with rope.

"Fire!" The guns were aimed at the crowd, and then they were fired. That's when all hell seemed to break loose.

* * *

"Get out of my house." The owner growled out, which Ed had the audacity to laugh at.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I do intend to leave as soon as possible. Wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Ed gave his group members a casual head nod, and they spread out to various locations in the house. He knew someone was severing the phone lines so no one in the house could call for help. The others were just doing their best to create havoc by destroying the interior of the fancy home.

"You stupid little-" Ed cut off the man by smashing a nearby china case. The woman, who he assumed was the owner's wife, let out a little sob of protest.

"Sorry, I'm dumb. I don't know any better." Ed continued to smash as many breakable and seemingly non-breakable items as he could. "Whoops, I'm just too clumsy." He sneered and stood ferociously in front of the family. Really, he didn't plan on harming them, he just wanted good old-fashioned justice and liberty.

"What do you want?" The owner demanded while standing in front of his quivering family.

"That's a stupid question." Ed snorted and he crossed his arms tightly.

"Well? More food? What is it you want?" If looks could kill, that man would've died. Twice.

"I want to break your face! How does that sound? Do you know who you're dealing with?! I'm the Full-!" Ed stopped himself when he heard several gunshots. "Hey," He called out to one of his group members who was near a broken window. "What was that?"

"A problem. The military is here." Ed groaned but did not let his stare-of-death wander away from the owner.

"Fine. We'll have to take care of this quickly.

"It's over, you lost." The man said quietly in-between hiccups.

"No, this is only starting. I've just destroyed your life, like you did to mine." Ed knew he had to wrap this up before any Amestrians were hurt, or worse, killed. More gunshots sounded, and yelling grew louder. The confused look on the man's face made Ed want to throttle his pathetic neck. "You have nothing left. You're ruined. But, there is a way you can redeem yourself."

"How so?" When Ed walked closer, the family flinched obviously like he had a deadly disease.

"Allow us all to go free."

"You're in no position to be bargaining." The man was more stupid than Ed thought.

"I should be saying the same. I could kill you right now, and I wouldn't regret it." Ed knew the simple-minded man would easily fall for his bluff. No matter how much he intensely loathed this man, he could never bring himself to end a life. That would make Ed no better than any of the owners.

The shouting was coming closer, which Ed recognized as a sign of the rebelling slaves being driven toward the house. At this rate, the military would be at the front doorstep within minutes. Thankfully, the rebellion was organized, so people were not blindly attacking the soldiers. That would certainly make sure their lives would be spared.

"Status?" Ed drawled out.

"It looks like most of them have been restrained. I think a few of them were shot."

"Damn."

"There's somebody from the military coming this way."

"Damn!" Ed repeated, but with a much more nervous tone. They were running out of time and options.

"We know you're in there! Come out, now!" A loud voice demanded, and Ed's group congregated into the front room.

"What do we do?" One of them whispered somberly, to which Ed shook his head. He wasn't doing a very good job with being a leader. Sure his plan did have flaws, but he didn't think it would be messed up this much. From the sound of it, the slaves were being either rounded up, killed, or both. Ed remembered what they were fighting for; all they wanted to do was see their families again.

"Go. Live to fight another day."

"We're going to give up?"

"No! I didn't say that. This was not your fight to win. Hurry up before they storm the house. Tell them to come in here when you're out."

"What are you planning?" Ed responded with a small smile.

"I told everyone they would see their loved one again, and I don't plan on breaking that promise. Now go." Very reluctantly, Ed's group walked out the front door with their hands raised above their heads. Swiftly, Ed grabbed a jagged shard of glass and pulled the owner in front of him with the glass held up to his neck.

"Calm down." Ed demanded while the man's wife and children were crying and trembling. Soon enough, several soldiers rushed into the room, but they backed off when they saw the scene before them. "Ah, so glad you could make it." He spoke with a dead voice. Every instinct in his body told him to run, but he knew he would be shot if he tried to flee.

"Let that man go." The superior officer ordered.

"No thanks, I think we're finally starting to get along." The soldiers understood immediately what type of situation this was turning into.

"What do you want?" The officer inquired calmly.

"Freedom." Ed knew the officer would not like letting the one responsible for the rebellion to go free. "For them. Bring them all to Xing. I'll take full responsibility."

"Fine, now release Mr. Wilson."

"No. Did they all just magically teleport to Xing in a split second?" Ed already knew their game. They only said what he wanted to hear so he would drop his guard. He didn't plan on being lied to, and he wasn't going to break his promise to all of those people.

"Alright, take the Amestrians to Xing." The officer grunted to one of his men, and the engines of the trucks were roaring. Ed patiently waited while the rebellion people were loaded up and presumably taken to the safety of the eastern country. The only thing he could do now was hope the military would stay true to their word. Still, he waited for what seemed like an eternity until the Amestrians were long gone and out of harms way.

"Please let Daddy go." Ed looked through his wild hair to find the person the terrified voice had come from; it was one of the owner's daughters. It was really too bad her father was a monster, as she and her family looked concerned and fearful for him. In their eyes, Ed was the bad guy here, and he let the makeshift weapon slip through his fingers. He slowly emerged from the safety of his hostage, and prepared to take on his punishment like a man. Before giving himself up completely, Ed turned around and punched the man in the face as hard as he could.

Within a matter of seconds, Ed was clobbered to the ground, and the weight of several people kept him down and immobile. While he was down, he noticed there were two bloodied teeth scattered on the floor, which made him inadvertently grin.

"Alright, how many in total?" Ed could hear one of the soldiers ask the owner.

"130." There was a brief moment of silence.

"There you go, that should be enough." A monetary exchange had been given, which made Ed feel relieved. The military was paying for all of the people who had rebelled, which was a good sign they really were being taken to Xing. Ed was placed in several various shackles and manacles, which seemed a bit over the top. He was then taken outside were his handcuffs were attached to a horse's saddle, and he had to walk all the way to the adjacent plantation.

Once they arrived, Ed was handed over to a man who looked like he could be related to the owner of the plantation he had come from. Other slaves curiously craned their heads to get a good look at the newcomer who had caused so much destruction in a small amount of time. Ed couldn't tell if they looked happy or disgusted when they looked at him. A large metal pole with fastenings embedded to it came into view, and it didn't look like a very promising thing. Before he knew it, his shirt was taken off, which was quickly followed by his leg. The automail was taken out of sight, and Ed's hands were attached to the bindings on the pole.

The house and field slaves were surrounding the pole, forced to watch his punishment. If they thought he could be ruined with a humiliating public display, they were wrong.

"Defiance will not be tolerated." Ed could hear the whip cracking through the air, so he braced himself by clenching his teeth together so he didn't accidentally bite his tongue off. When the thin strip of leather dug into his skin, it wasn't as painful as he anticipated. Of course, it hurt more after the second time, since it was now cutting into damaged and sensitive flesh. He made sure to not cry out or beg for them to stop, because that would mean they won.

In total, he had been flogged a total of 15 times, which seemed like a fairly low number. The crowd made no indication to disperse, which made it evident his punishment was not complete. Two men appeared from the crowd while carrying a white bucket. Just before they dumped the contents onto him, Ed could make out a familiar pairing of letters painted on the surface: NaCl.

* * *

Roy was feeling very annoyed. His retribution for disobeying orders was being forbidden from going into the library for a week. He sat alone in the kitchen while everybody else was outside watching the leader of the rebellion being punished. Many privileges had been taken away from the field slaves because of the revolt; they now had to work on Tuesdays, they were not allowed to talk at all while in their shacks (a guard had been placed at each one to make sure the residents were sleeping and not conversing), people were beaten at the mere mention of either Amestris or freedom, and they were not allowed to come within 50 feet of the house.

That was not the only thing Roy was concerned about. Within the home, the house slaves were starting to act differently. They always had some authority over the field workers, but they were now starting to abuse their power. Disturbingly, they had also seemed excited to go and watch the beating. Roy had declined without a second thought and told them he was going to practice his trumpet for jazz night instead.

One minor good outcome had resulted because of the revolt. All 130 rebelling slaves, except for the leader, were freed and given a ride to Xing. Although the prospects seemed grim for the leader, he had not lost. His people were free and the plantation was completely annihilated. Roy saw that as a victory, and the leader had to make a sacrifice to win. After the punishment was over, Roy wanted to meet the brave man in charge of the rebellion.

An hour passed, and the residents of the house returned to complete their daily functions.

"Well, what was he like?" Roy curiously asked one of his less morbid co-workers.

"It looked like they were whipping a dead horse. We thought the kid-"

"Kid?"

"Yeah. He can't be any older than 20." Roy suddenly felt mildly queasy; a young kid had motivated a large group of people to retaliate and destroy nearly eight square miles of land. That was an impressive feat, even for someone older, but now, that kid was being severely struck. "We thought he just passed out from shock, so they stopped whipping him until he gained consciousness so he could feel the pain. When they stopped, the kid looked up. He had the most terrifying stare I've ever seen."

"So he was awake the whole time?" He asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, so they decided to do something else…" Roy raised his eyebrows, itching for more of the story. "They poured salt on him. Actually, it was John and Roger who did it." Those were two examples of house slaves going power hungry, and Roy mentally cursed at hem.

"That's terrible. How is the boy?"

"Um, I think he'll be fine. When they did that he shouted 'this pain is nothing', then he started to curse at everyone." At that bit of news, Roy let out a light chuckle. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just sounds like something an old friend of mine would say. Well, I'm going to go outside and practice." Roy grabbed his used silver trumpet and sat down in a secluded area surrounded by flowery bushes and trees, and he hoped he wouldn't be interrupted. Instead of practicing jazz like he was supposed to be doing, he played an assertive Amestrian march.

* * *

The crowd dispersed and Ed's chains were taken off. The combination from missing a leg and having a burning back was enough to make him fall to the ground. He had been told the same punishment would be used on him once a day, everyday, until he learned his lesson. Other than that bit of unwanted information, Ed hadn't been told anything else, so he stayed where he was.

No one was even near him to keep an eye on him; they must've figured he was helpless and immobile. That was a mistake on their part. All he had to do was find out where they put his leg, and he could get out of there. Ed figured it was probably taken to the house, so he crawled over to a nearby tree and found a nice-sized stick. He used the stick like a cane, and snuck toward the house by weaving through the trees.

The sound of a lone trumpet made Ed briefly stop; the song sounded like an Amestrian military march. He headed in the direction of the music and hid under some bushes so he could get close to the player without being spotted.

The man sitting on the wooden bench was wearing nice black clothes, which were what the house slaves wore. From the back, the trumpeter reminded Ed of Mustang. The music was pleasant and familiar, so he decided to stay underneath the bush so he could enjoy the playing for a little bit longer. Ed went rigid when the man stopped playing, stood up, and walked over to his hiding spot.

* * *

Roy could feel the sensation of being watched, so he stopped playing in case it was one of the owners. He heard something in the bushes, so he went to investigate the noise. The leaves violently shook and he knew there was someone in there trying to run away. He couldn't let that happen, or the person would be punished for being in close proximity to the house, so he reached his hand into the bush and grabbed the person's arm.

"Come on out. I won't hurt you." Roy tried his best to sound friendly, but like always, it came out more like an order.

"Colonel?" A small voice asked, and the kid popped his head through the bush. Roy was really hoping he was just imagining the voice. The kid came fully out of the plant and he shook off Roy's grip. His hair was shaggy, and it was hard to tell if it was supposed to be blond or brown. He finished rubbing his eyes and he opened them to reveal golden irises. "Is that you?"

"Edward?! What the hell are you doing here?" Roy took a step back to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"I should be asking you the same thing! You're supposed to be, well, not here!" Ed harshly crossed his arms, and Roy noticed he had winced slightly when he had done so.

"I was in Central! It was a possibility I could've been captured. You, on the other hand, were in Xing. What happened?"

"I was protecting Al and some refugees."

"Oh, being altruistic, are we? That was foolish of you." Ed snorted in response.

"Alright, then. If I'm so noble, then why are you here?"

"Well, um, you know. Subordinates' safety first."

"That was foolish." Ed said in a mocking voice.

"Fine, I'll admit it, Edward, we're both here for the same reason." Ed was frowning and staring at Roy intently.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"That's your name." Roy wondered when the last time Ed had actually been called by his real name, since people here were referred to by what their shack number was. "Similarly, don't call me Colonel."

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want to, bastard." It was good to see Ed was still in a good, fighting spirit, and he still retained his bull-headiness.

"That's fine, just don't mention anything about Amestris, including my rank. Otherwise, they'll beat you." Roy felt both horrified and ecstatic Ed was here; he finally knew someone that could help him escape, but really, Ed shouldn't be there.

"Fine. I can't believe you work in the house. What do you do? Serve tea?" Roy had forgotten how satirical Ed could be.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Heh, figures you still get to be lazy."

"And you're still an insufferable brat."

"It's great to see you, too." Ed said with a roll of his eyes. "I can't believe you're not in the fields, considering your military background."

"I'm in the house _because_ of that. They collect state alchemists." Ed's eyes opened wide.

"Really? I have to tell them who I am! I won't be in the field anymore."

"No." Roy responded vigorously. Technically, he could order Ed around if he wanted to.

"Why not? This isn't fair! They treat us like crap. Even the animals get more food and attention than we do. You get to sleep in the house and mess around with tea. I'm telling them."

"I said no." This was going to be a hard one to explain, and he didn't know where to start.

"I hate you!" Ed was starting to get a crazy gleam in his eyes, and it looked like he was contemplating about attacking Roy.

"Stop acting like a child. You look like you want to kill me, and that's why I can't let you work in the house." Ed settled down slightly and he raised a questioning eyebrow. "There's a reason state alchemists are put in the house. It's so everyone else grows to resent us. Even if we tried to help them rebel, they wouldn't trust us enough to try and escape. You need to stay on their side and keep their trust."

"I already lost it." Ed mumbled to himself.

"Roy!" Roy panicked when he heard the master's voice, so he quickly thought up of a convincing enough plan. He noticed Ed was using a stick to lean on, so his automail leg was currently not on him. Roy swiped the stick away and forcefully pushed Ed to the ground, and he placed a heavy boot on his back. "What are you doing?" Mr. Wilson walked over and he placed his hands on his head.

"I was bored, so I thought it would be okay to rough this one up a bit."

"Very well, it's not like he's useful. Do as you wish with him, just make sure you return him every day at noon."

"Of course, sir." Mr. Wilson nodded and returned to the house. Ed was still beneath Roy's foot, groaning and whimpering. "Okay, he's gone. You can stop pretend-" Roy looked down at Ed with terror, and he quickly removed his foot.

Ed's back was covered with bloodied wounds, and Roy cursed at his own stupidity and naïvety. Ed had been the one who caused the uprising, which was why he wanted to reveal himself as the Fullmetal Alchemist, so he wouldn't be as severely punished. Now Roy was desperate to get himself and Ed out of there.

Roy could handle being beaten and whipped; he would take it if it meant freeing Amestris. He was sure Ed was strong enough to handle it, but he did not deserve it. These people were messing with the wrong person; they hurt his subordinate. Now it was personal.

* * *

**I now have illustrations pertaining to this story (more specifically this chapter) up on my profile page. I will gladly accept any artwork you create for this story, as well.**


	9. Justice

** A Mysterious Illusion- I know, about time they meet up. Thanks!**

** Bluefire21- Roy is just a very charismatic person; it's hard not to follow him, right? Thank you.**

** Not so human- When a guest reviews, it takes the system three days for the review to come in, unless the author fast approves it, which is why you probably thought it wasn't working. Usually, I write only implied romance, torture, etc. I have a strong stomach, but I know others don't…. Thanks!**

** Koryanders: Thanks!**

** DreamweaverAki: Wow, so many reviews in such little time. Somebody went on a spree. So far, only you and a Mysterious Illusion have caught my little references. You both can have a cookie. Corn. Yes, that's all I ever see. Even the cities here are rural.**

* * *

It had been a very long night for Roy; he stayed up well past midnight trying to think of a plan for himself and Ed to escape. The plan had to be perfect, but there was no such thing as a flawless strategy in these strange circumstances. He did have one idea, but it wasn't exactly foolproof. It was the best idea he had come up with so far. He and Ed would become anthropologists, wanting to study the ruins in Xerxes. It would be easy for Roy to pass it off, since he was already well groomed. Ed, on the other hand, looked like he had been living in a forest his whole life.

They would ride across the border and deal with their appearances when they were in Amestris. Well, technically, it was called Creta, but that would also be changing soon. Papers showing they were anthropologists would be easy enough to fake, and they could raid abandoned houses for clothes. Roy looked at his watch; 12:31. Ed had been told to meet in the same spot everyday immediately after noon until they made their escape.

Sure enough, Ed came hobbling through the trees while using a stick for balance. He looked fairly calm, like nothing had happened at all. Roy made sure absolutely no one was around watching, and he pulled out a small black box from his pocket when the coast was clear. It was nice this little area was surrounded trees and bushes so no one could see what they were doing.

"You ready?" Ed sat down on the bench and let out a grunt in response. Roy opened the box and pulled out a dark bottle. He unscrewed the cap and let the liquid trickle down Ed's newly bloodied back. Immediately, the peroxide fizzed and bubbled. Carefully, Roy made sure none of the wounds were growing any infections, and he was relieved to see they were healing quickly and without problem.

"You smell disgusting. When's the last time you took a shower?" Roy asked to ease the awkward silence in the air.

"I don't know. What's today?"

"Wednesday."

"No, the date." Roy had forgotten Ed was forbidden from reading anything at all, so he wouldn't be able to look at the date on a newspaper.

"It's the 21st."

"Of what?" He could tell Ed was serious. Roy was beginning to wonder how long Ed had been on the plantation.

"September." Ed gave Roy the most terrifying look of horror, and he quickly got off of the bench.

"You're lying!" Roy sensed the fear and doubt in Ed's voice, and he wondered why he was acting so frightful.

"I can run and grab the paper. It's September 21st, 1917."

"No." Ed covered his face with his hands. "It's been eight months."

"You haven't showered in eight months?" Roy raised an eyebrow and glanced at his subordinate.

"No! I mean, yeah, but…" Ed was frantically running his fingers through his snarled hair.

"What's wrong?"

"…Eight months. Nine months…"

"Edward?"

"I have to be there! I need to go…nine…"

"Edward!" Roy demanded with a strong tone, but Ed did not snap out of his deluded state.

"I can't be like _him_! I got to get out of here! I have to be there for her!" Ed seemed to forget he didn't have his left leg, so when he tried to run, he fell on his face.

"Fullmetal! Snap out of it." Roy demanded and he helped Ed sit down on the bench. "Calm down and tell me what happened." He stood in front of Ed and calmly waited for an answer. Ed took deep breaths and he gazed at Roy with wide eyes.

"I…I'm going…"

"You're staying right here." Ed shook his head with frustration, upset he couldn't convey what he wanted to say.

"No, I mean…I'm going to be a…bastard."

"What?" It was official; Ed had gone insane. Ed's breathing began to pick up again.

"I thought it was only a few months. Maybe three, at the most. Please, tell me you're joking."

"I'm not. Settle down before you get us caught." Ed mumbled something too quiet for Roy to hear. "I can't help if you don't tell me what the problem is."

"I'm going to be a dad." He said loud enough for Roy to hear, and they blankly stared at each other. Roy let the words sink in. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was going to be a father? When did he have the time to…? Roy pushed the thought out of his mind. It was simply too strange to think about. Ed just didn't seem like that type.

"How did this happen?" Roy didn't know what answer he was looking for or expecting.

"I think you of all people know where babies come from." Roy groaned and placed a sprawled hand on his forehead. Even in these terrible conditions, Ed still could find a way to be an annoying brat. "Please help." He looked at Ed through his fingers. He rarely said 'please', and he never asked for help. Ed's eyes were filled with desperation and sadness.

Roy was now even more determined to break himself and Ed out with the newfound information. Unfortunately, it was not the right time to make an escape. Mr. Wilson was going on a vacation in nine days, which would the perfect time to make a run for it.

"Be patient. We're leaving in less than two weeks."

"That's not soon enough! She's due any day now, and I have to be there." Roy made a quick motion with his hands for Ed to quiet down.

"We can't risk leaving now. Our escape must be flawless, or we'll just be brought back here. Then they'll increase security and watch closely over us. We'd never be able to escape then. Understood?" Ed weakly nodded his head and he cleared the tangled hair away from his face.

"Can I at least write them a letter?" Of course, Ed was pleading now like he was a young child. Roy knew letting Ed write a letter could prove to be disastrous if they were discovered.

"Sorry, I don't think that's a good idea." Ed sported the uttermost look of sorrow and defeat, and Roy finally fell into the trap. "Fine, stay here. I'll be back. He speedily walked to the house and looked through the cabinets to find pen and paper.

"What are you doing?" Roy turned around harshly and confronted the house slave who had spoken; it was one of the men who was in charge of punishing Ed.

"It's such a beautiful day." He responded dreamily. "I was looking for something to write poetry with." Roy smiled and he tried to look convincing.

"They're in here." The vile man opened a drawer and threw Roy a pen. Roy grabbed the writing utensil and tore a sheet of yellow paper from a pad. He went outside and slipped into the grove where Ed was fidgetingly waiting, and offered him the supplies.

Ed eagerly grabbed the pen and paper, then he wrote like his life depended on it. Roy stood protectively in front of him so anyone walking past the trees wouldn't be able to see what was going on. Upon finishing, Ed gave Roy the letter and pen.

"Address it to Ling's palace. He'll deliver it to Al." Ed carefully stood up. "Thank you." Roy smiled. Ed could use manners when he wanted to.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Ed hobbled away and Roy returned to the house to go into his shared room. He sat down on the old mattress and he began to put the letter into the envelope. Roy couldn't help but notice Ed's handwriting seemed neater than normal, so he curiously glanced at the words.

"_Ling, I would appreciate it if you could deliver this letter to Alphonse as soon as possible. Thanks for everything you have done. -Ed._

_ Al, I'm sorry. It's been eight months since I last saw any of you. I didn't realize that much time passed. Those last words you shouted to me haven't left my mind; 'she's pregnant!' Funny, I was the last one to know. You were in on it, weren't you? Don't worry, I'll get you back._

_ Knowing I was going to be a father has been my drive for these past months. Tell Winry I'm sorry for leaving like that. I didn't even get to say good-bye. _

_ I've been okay, so don't be worrying about me. Oh, Mustang is here! When I first saw him, I thought I was finally going crazy. He's been helping me out and making things less miserable. I have never been more exited to see him in my life. Colonel will be taking me to you and Winry real soon, I promise. He says he has a plan that will work, but we have to wait a few days. By the time you receive this letter, he and I will be in Amestris and on our way to Xing. _

_Love, Ed_.

_P.S. Do not reply_."

Roy immediately knew those words were only for Alphonse's eyes to see, since Ed would never say those things out loud around other people. It just seemed like Ed's penmanship had gone from nearly illegible to fairly nice in only two years. Figuring his subordinates might be in Alphonse's vicinity, Roy decided to add to the letter. He flipped the paper over and scrawled on the back with a pencil.

"_Dear Alphonse, this is Roy Mustang. I know you aren't like your brother, but don't do anything rash. I want you to brace yourself; when you see Edward, you will not like what you see. Terrible things are being conducted here, and he has been affected deeply. He's trying to be strong for all of you, but he's currently in a bad predicament. Basically, remain calm when he returns, or you'll upset him even more._

_ If possible, could you tell my team that I am safe? Thank you. We'll be escaping real soon. _

_Best regards, Roy. _

_P.S. Yes, do not respond to this address, just in case something here goes wrong. I estimate we'll be in Central on October 4__th__. You can send a reply to my apartment, though I can not guarantee it would arrive while we are there. Take care_."

Roy quickly reread his short message and set the letter on his dresser. Without meaning to, he relaxed on the bed and fell into a light sleep.

* * *

Ed was both ecstatic and terrified; he was going to be a dad! If he was feeling this scared, he could only imagine how Winry was feeling without him by her side. He thought he was going to be sick when he found out eight months had passed since he was captured in the desert. That was too long, and now Winry needed him to be there. He only hoped Mustang would be able to get them into freedom before she had the baby.

"Watch where you're going, 23!" Ed was pushed backwards and he tripped from his lack of a leg. He had been too occupied with his thoughts of parenthood to pay attention to where he was going.

"I dare you to call me that again." He snarled viciously. It was unbelievable his own people had turned against him. Usually, they ignored him, but whenever he came into contact with someone, they berated him. On a few occasions, they even tried to hit him. Ed knew they were angry since he was the cause for their few privileges to be taken away. Still, that was not a good enough excuse for attacking him.

"Pathetic little 23..." Ed didn't allow the Amestrian to say another word; he lashed out and attacked the man by clamping his arms around the slave's ankles.

"Who's little now!?" He shouted when the man fell to the ground with a loud 'thump'. The man and his small group hurried away to avoid more of Ed's fury. After calming down, Ed took note of his surroundings and he grabbed his walking stick. He hoisted himself up and headed for his sleeping spot next to the guard station.

It took Ed a long time to fall asleep, since he was too anxious and ecstatic about Mustang breaking the both of them out of there. He hoped they would make it before Winry delivered her baby. _Their_ child.

* * *

"This is some interesting poetry." Roy rubbed his eyes opened and he looked for the source of the voice. "Who's Ed?" It was his roommate, John. "Is it that kid you've been hanging with?" A piece of paper was in John's hands, and Roy recognized it immediately as Ed's letter to Al. "I think Mr. Wilson would like to read this." Roy launched himself off the bed and he pinned his roommate to the wall by grabbing his throat.

"If you tell anyone," Roy's tone was growing dangerous. "You will regret it."

"Oh, so you care for that rebellious brat? I'll keep that in mind next time-" John was one of the men in charge of Ed's daily punishment, so Roy squeezed his hands together more forcefully, and his roommate's face started to turn purple.

"Touch him, you die." Roy let the now unconscious man slip through his hands, and he retrieved the letter. He slammed the door behind him and he stormed to his horse to take the mail to a nearby post box.

Hopefully that idiot of a man would have enough common sense to not cross paths with Roy anytime soon.

* * *

Roy repeated the process of cleaning Ed's wounds the following day. It was hard to imagine Ed was acting nonchalantly about his ordeal. It was still even more shocking he was going to be a father. Roy didn't want to imagine what traits the child would inherit from Ed. With his luck, the baby would inherit Ed's temper, stubbornness, and rude tendencies.

"There was only one person today. The second wasn't there." Ed stated casually.

"Mm." Roy hummed an answer. He didn't want to talk about it, and Ed caught on.

"Only eight more days!" Ed's enthusiasm cheered Roy up a little bit. It seemed in the past few days, Roy had grown progressively angry and irritable. Seeing the scarring on Ed's back only added fuel to that fire.

"Yes, we'll be in Xing soon. Now get going so I can have some 'me' time." Ed snorted and he stood up. "Don't do anything reckless." Roy added out of habit.

"I'm not reckless." Grinning, Ed turned around and limped away. Roy shook his head disbelievingly and he leaned against a tree in an attempt to enjoy the nice weather. He had to admit, it was fairly comfortable, so he decided to sleep until someone came to wake him up.

"Roy!" Someone hollered and he snapped into attention. He had been sleeping for hours, and the sun was already starting to set. "There's a fight in the shack yard."

"What do you want me to do about it?" He asked in between yawns. It was supposed to be the slave drivers' job to take care of those kind of issues.

"You're the best when it comes to this type of problem." It was true, he had broken up several fights before. He had a knack for ending quarrels and brawls by using authoritative words and not force.

"Alright, just this once." That had not been the first time Roy said those words. They walked over to the shacks and headed towards the crowd of people. When Roy approached, the people split and moved away when he cut through them. In the center of the mob, there were two people wrestling on the ground and Roy lamented audibly. The brawl was between John and Edward.

As expected, Ed was on top beating the man's face, which was impressive due to the fact he currently had only one leg. Roy knew the man most likely deserved his face being beat into a pulp, but it was jeopardizing the escape mission.

Roy cleared his throat assertively. "Enough." Ed looked up at him with a 'this is not my fault' look. He approached them and shoved Ed away, while trying his best to make sure he didn't accidentally harm the kid. "I'll help you to the house." Roy spoke bitterly to John. 'Yeah, so I can kill you in an inventive and painful way' he thought to himself. John reluctantly followed Roy to the house, and the mob joined back together.

Once inside, Roy slammed and locked the door shut. "What did you do?" He was starting to feel the urge to strangle.

"Nothing, I swear!" John's nose was obviously broken. "I didn't touch 'im!"

"So he kicked your pathetic ass for fun?" John gulped and remained silent. "He did seem to enjoy it, maybe I should try it out." Roy menacingly raised his fist and he clutched John's shirt collar.

"No, wait! I didn't hurt him!" Roy rolled his eyes; a man like John would never be able to get a punch in against Ed, even if he was missing a limb. "I only tried talking to him."

"You mean instigating. Why did you seek him out?"

"…I…you know how it goes…he'll be, uh, taken care of…" John was having convulsions and he started to babble nonsense while he stared at Roy's fist. Roy could feel his stomach churning; when field slaves fought with others of their status, it was usually shrugged off. As soon as they attacked a house slave, however, they were typically killed. "…hang…tomorrow…" Was all Roy could make out, and he threw John to the floor.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a human." He spat out and really wished he could perform some flame alchemy.

* * *

Roy was prepared. Everything was ready; John was practically left mute, Mr. Wilson returned from work and he was in bed, and Roy found Ed's automail leg in a storage closet. He had exactly 27 minutes to get himself and Ed away from the plantation.

Under the cover of darkness, Roy sneaked around the shacks and found the post where Ed was tied to. He quickly undid the binds and he shook the sleeping kid in an attempt to wake him up.

"Whadya wan', bas'ard?" Ed replied groggily. Roy waved the leg revealingly, and Ed seemed to wake up a little bit. Frantically, Ed grabbed the leg and shoved it into the port, trying his hardest to not make any loud noise of protest.

"Come on, we don't have much time." He grabbed Ed by the arm and they went into a full sprint to the stables.

"We're taking a horse?"

"Would you rather walk to Xing?"

"I'd rather take a car. Two men shouldn't be riding on one horse."

"Just get on. We don't have to worry about roads on horseback." Roy knew he was right, but Ed was also correct about the awkwardness factor, but that was something they were going to have to deal with if they wanted to escape. Reluctantly, Ed climbed on the horse and he sat behind Roy.

They rode in silence, and Ed was using Roy's back as a pillow. No doubt he would wake up with a sore neck. As they cantered through the wheat fields, Roy started to count backwards in his head. 3. 2. 1.

_ BOOM_! Ed freaked out and he briefly, and painfully, squeezed Roy's stomach.

"What the hell was that!?" He let go of Roy and looked behind him. Roy glanced at his handiwork, and the light from the explosion began to die away. The fireball in the sky was several miles away, which made Roy proud of how much distance they had gained.

"Just a message and a reminder."

"You did that?" The fireball disappeared and countless animals began to make noises.

"Yes. Now go back to sleep, we have a long day."

"Wait, did you blow up the house?"

"Obviously."

"But, there were people inside." Roy made a quick face palm.

"Stop acting sentimental. Once this madness is over, they would've been tried for crimes against humanity and eventually executed." Ed was unbelievable. Only he would be concerned for the well-being of hated enemies.

"Okay." Ed sighed discontentedly and he eventually began to lightly snore. Even though they were safely off the plantation, they still had a long way to go.

* * *

**I'm sorry, I've been in a drawing mood lately, so I've been a tiny bit uninspired to write. I'll update, but it might take a while until my drawing craze ends. Thanks!**


	10. Fatherhood

** DreamweaverAki: Aw, come on. I hinted at it, no? ;)**

** A Mysterious Illusion: The kid you're talking about was Ed's shackmate. Yes! Roy finally gets to blow things up! Yep, you were right about Winry. (I know I PMed you, but this is just in case any one else had the same question).**

** Bluefire21: I'm only a little unmotivated, nothing real major; yet.**

** Not so human: Your question shall be answered this chapter.**

** Carottal: Anything I write between Ed and Roy will only ever be brotherly/fatherly. You know what, I'm not sure why I did that with the letter. I guess he wouldn't want to make her worry. And yes, I love writing with symbolism, wither it be noticeable or not. Thank you so much!**

** Amber Hastings: Just a midge uninspired. I've been addicted to drawing lately. **

** Wolves Run Free, Fangirl2013, Elricsrule, and Keystar11: Thanks for your lovely reviews!**

* * *

"What if it doesn't like me?" Mustang twitched in response. "What if I mess up? It's going to hate me!"

"Your baby hasn't been born yet. Stop worrying."

"How do you know? She could've miscarried, or given birth prematurely." Ed grew more frantic as he thought of more terrible things that could've happened to Winry.

"I'm sure she's fine. You have a strong woman." He smiled briefly at Mustang's compliment, but soon began to feel uneasy.

"My kid is going to think I'm a bastard."

"Fullmetal! Newborn babies can't hate people!" Mustang took a deep breath and spoke with a gentler tone. "All they care about is being properly fed and changed."

"What if I change the diaper wrong? Then-"

"Gah!" Mustang shouted and flailed his arms into the air in defeat. Since he woke up an hour previously, all Ed could talk about was his child and how he thought he was going to mess up.

They rode in silence until they came across a cobblestone road, and Mustang changed course to follow it.

"What are you doing?" Ed questioned.

"Taking a break. She can't go on forever." Mustang patted the horse's black side. Ed had to admit, the animal was pretty neat. She carried the weight of two people on her back all night, and she didn't seem to be keeling over from exhaustion.

"She's a strong animal." He decided to point out for no reason at all.

"Yeah, she's part mustang, after all." Even though Ed couldn't see Mustang's face, he knew he was smirking.

"Did I mention smelly?"

"That would be you." Ed tried to think of a way to counter that, but it was true. He smelled worse than a pigsty. A small house came into view, and when they approached, it looked unkempt. The grass was overgrown, brown, and full of weeds. The bushes next to the house were beyond the stage of needing a trim. Shingles were splayed across the yard from a past storm. Overall, it looked abandoned. "You can bathe in there. We should make sure no one is home, first."

Ed completely agreed. He didn't want a repeat of his incident many months before when he took a shower in an occupied house. They dismounted the horse and Mustang knocked on the door. They stretched while they waited, since hours of sitting on a horse left the both of them rather sore. After several minutes of silence, it was determined the place was empty.

"You go inside. I'll take care of my horse."

"Does your horse have a name?"

"Yes." Ed waved his arm in a gesture for Mustang to continue speaking. "I don't see why that's important."

"I was just curious."

"It doesn't matter, now go clean yourself."

"Trying to hide something? I'm not leaving until you tell me." Just to irritate Mustang, Ed moved closer to him so his nasty smell was overpowering.

"Fine," Mustang shoved him away. "If you must know, her name is Riza." Ed began to hysterically laugh. "It was the first name that came to my mind when they told me to name her. Now get in the shower!" Mustang turned around and led the mare to a fenced pasture.

Ed still laughed and he opened the unlocked door, but as soon as he walked in, he ceased chuckling. The inside was dark, dusty, and looked depressing. Papers and other various items were scattered across the floor, like the owners of the house left in a hurry. Frowning, Ed walked into the front room and looked closely at one of the walls. There were several picture frames nailed into the wall, all depicting a couple with two young children. He hoped they had made it out in time.

He gloomily walked through the house and ended up in a bedroom. The closet looked disorderly, and there were only old work suits in it. A small dresser was at the end of the bed, so Ed opened a random drawer, but he slammed it back shut upon seeing what was inside. He carefully opened another one while squinting his eyes. Thankfully, men's undergarments were in that drawer, not women's. After opening his eyes fully, Ed grabbed a dark pair of boxers and flannel pajama pants.

The bathroom was not hard to find, and Ed turned the knob on the shower and waited until the room was filled with a warm steam. The rushing of the water and hitting the porcelain tub sounded almost foreign to him, but it was music to his ears. He glanced in the nearly foggy mirror before stepping into the shower. His hair looked like a tangled mass of brown hay, and his face was covered with dirt. Steam eventually shrouded the mirror until Ed couldn't see a reflection. He stepped into the blissful shower and he ignored the stinging pain on his back.

When Ed looked down, he was relieved to discover the water was not red; a good indicator his wounds were not open. The tub was starting to become caked with mud as the forceful water hit Ed's body. He grabbed the old half-full bottle of shampoo and dumped half of the contents on his head. He continuously worked the shampoo through his snarled hair, and he dumped even more of the creamy liquid on. Eventually, the tub was filled with mud, straw, and dead bugs. Next, he poured all of the remaining conditioner on his horrendous hair.

The towel he was using to scrub his filthy skin was now a brown color, and he let it slop onto the floor. There was loud knocking on the bathroom door. "You've been in there for over a half-hour!" Mustang shouted. "What's taking so long?"

"Wanna toss me another rag?" Ed responded. His scrubbing towel was already ruined.

"No!" The door pounding ceased. Ed turned the shower off and he got into his new clothes. The sensation of being clean felt amazing, and when Ed cleaned away the fog from the mirror, he was happy that the reflection looked familiar to his old self. Ed opened the door and Mustang charged in.

"You can have fun burning those if you'd like." Ed pointed to his old brown clothes. Mustang frowned and he nodded his head toward the pile.

"You're wearing someone else's underwear? That's unsanitary."

"Hey! These are clean. Besides, it's better than wearing the same pair for eight months."

"Fair enough." As Ed started to walk away, Mustang shouted, "You clogged the shower!" Ed evilly smiled and he rushed into the kitchen to find something to eat. He curiously opened the fridge, only to slam the door shut when the overwhelming strong odor of mold filled his nose. He looked through the cabinets, but they were for the most part, bare. Frustrated, he went outside and circled the house in the hopes of finding a garden or orchard.

When he went around back, Ed found an unkempt garden. There were a few brown stalks of sweet corn, but wasn't going to eat that particular food anytime soon. He dug his clean hands into the earth to look for anything salvageable. Upon digging, he found and pulled out several withered carrots and brought them back to the house.

Ed grabbed a pot and filled it with water to boil. He dumped various jars of noodles into the bubbling water, and he began to cut the carrots, discarding the rotten parts as he did so. The carrots were tossed in with the noodles, and Ed waited until the noodles were tender enough to be strained. While he waited, he dusted off two plates and two glasses.

As he strained the water, Mustang walked into the kitchen and he gave Ed a curious look when he poured the food on the plates.

"It was all I could find." Ed explained as he stuffed the food into his mouth. Mustang grabbed a plate and looked at the plain food.

"You need some meat."

"I know it's bland, but I couldn't find anything."

"Not for the taste. You need to gain some weight." Mustang was frowning.

"I'm fine."

"All of your bones are visible. You can't hide that." Ed looked at himself. Sure, he hadn't been eating properly for a few months, but it could've been much worse.

"I not as bad as Al was."

"I wouldn't know."

"What are you talking about? You were there." Mustang blinked his eyes, which caused Ed to remember about the temporary blindness. "Oh, never mind."

"That's alright. Anyway, once we get to Central, you're going on a steak diet." Ed responded by stuffing more noodles in his face. Mustang eventually ate the bland food, and Ed finished his within minutes.

"I know what you need." Mustang slyly moved to the fridge and he quickly pulled out a carton. "Milk." He quickly unscrewed the cap and flipped the carton upside down over Ed's water cup. Ed screeched and slapped his cup away. To both of their dismay, nothing was coming out of the carton.

"You're not going to make me eat that, are you?" Ed apprehensively stared at Mustang.

"I think it's well past the cottage cheese stage." They both shuddered and Mustang tossed the carton back into the refrigerator. "Okay, we have a long day tomorrow, but we should be in Central by nightfall. Let's get some sleep." Ed tossed his dirty plate in the sink and he followed Mustang into the living room.

Once in the room, Ed sat down comfortably on a plump couch, which was a feeling he had long forgotten. He could hear Mustang shuffling on the adjacent couch, and he heavily drooped his eyelids. The couch's fabric was extremely soft and welcoming.

"Edward?" Ed did not open his eyes, and he adjusted himself to he was laying on his stomach. "Why did you attack that man?" At that, Ed peeked his eyes open and he furrowed his eyebrows upon recalling the memory.

"Well, he told me he read my letter."

"So you attacked him? You could've denied writing it."

"I did." Ed clutched the couch tightly as a result from his anger. "He ignored me, and…" Ed stopped himself, not wanting to repeat the words that man had said.

"What?"

"He called Winry a prostitute. So I attacked him." Ed waited for the colonel to say something smug and complain about how thoughtless he had acted.

"I would've done the same. Get some sleep." Ed obeyed without a second thought, and he quickly fell asleep on the heavenly sofa.

* * *

Ed was running as fast as he could with Mustang slightly behind him. They ran endlessly through the unrelenting desert while trying to avoid the Cretan military. Several armed trucks came over a dune to strike the escapees down, and Mustang snapped his fingers. He managed to hit one of the trucks, but the others sent out a spray of bullets.

Xingese civilization was in sight, but Mustang crumpled to the ground. "No!" Ed shouted and he stopped to help his superior. The parched sand turned red and greedily soaked up the refreshing liquid. Mustang coughed up dark blood and he pulled Ed harshly by his shirt until they were face to face.

"You're going to be a terrible father." He sputtered before his eyes went cold. Ed released himself and he ran until he was at Xing's palace doors.

"Where's Roy?" Riza asked pleadingly, and her eyes seemed to bore inside Ed.

"He's gone. Where's everybody at?" Riza did not answer him. Instead, she seemed to pretend Ed was not there. The only acknowledgement he received was an occasional dirty glance, so he stormed into the palace.

"Where's my wife and brother?!" He shouted to Ling, who was sitting conceitedly in the ornate throne.

"Who are you?" The malice in the emperor's voice proved he knew exactly who Ed was, but he didn't want to recognize their former friendship.

"It's me, Ed, your friend. Where's my brother, Al?" Ed was starting to feel abandoned and kicked on.

"Alphonse Elric?" Ed ferociously nodded his head, and Ling gave him an unmerited look. "Al was an only child; he had no brother."

"What?!" Ed was terrified at this point. Everything was going wrong.

"He disowned you before being killed a few months ago."

"Where's Winry?" There was no use in trying to hide the panic in his voice, and he darted to the direction Ling was pointing at.

"Winry!" He shouted and sprinted to embrace her.

"Stay away from me." She growled, which caused Ed to freeze and drop his arms. Immediately, he noticed her stomach was not overly large.

"Our child?" He innocently questioned.

"My son died shortly after birth, and it's all your fault. I hate you!" Ed slowly backed away, and he hung his head with shame.

"Everyone hates you. You left us, and we will never forgive you." Familiar voices of friends and family echoed in his ears. He yelled at them to stop, but they only grew intensely loud.

"Fullmetal." Ed saw Mustang die with his own eyes, but at this point, he really didn't care.

"Stop! Leave me alone." He clasped his hands over his ears in a feeble attempt to make the jeering go away.

"Fullmetal!" The voice repeated and Ed snapped his eyes open. His surroundings were dark and unfamiliar. He was sweaty and his heart was thumping audibly. Slowly, his eyes adjusted and his breathing became regular. "You were yelling." Ed turned his head to look at Mustang, and he sighed; it was just a nightmare. Mustang made a casual hand motion by wiping his cheek, so Ed mimicked the motion. He was shocked to discover his fingers were wet, so he used his arms to wipe away the rest of the salty water. Ed was very grateful the colonel said nothing or made any indication to tease him for crying.

He heavily placed his feet on the floor, and Mustang looked at Ed apprehensively. "Just so you know, you're not the only one." It was nice to know the colonel also had nightmares, which made Ed feel less humbled. Mustang reached over to the table, and he placed a pile of dark clothes in Ed's hands.

"Um, my back." Wearing the top parts of clothing would chafe and irritate his wounds.

"Right. Follow me." They went into the bathroom and Mustang began to wrap Ed's back with a roll of gauze. "It will still probably hurt. Just be careful when you put on the suit." Suit? Ed unfolded the clothes and inspected the clothes he was given. They were business casual clothes, which made Ed roll his eyes.

Ed went into a bedroom and he cautiously put on the suit. After breaking several flimsy combs, he eventually managed to tame his hair down, then he pulled it into a neat and orderly braid. Once he straightened his stupid tie, he exited the bedroom to greet Mustang, who was now also wearing a suit.

"What's the plan?" Ed was curious to see what Mustang was cooking up.

"We are anthropologists wanting to study the Xerxian ruins." Mustang put on a pair of weak glasses, and then he gave a pair to Ed. Not really wanting to, Ed put on the half-rimmed glasses.

"This is a terrible idea."

"No it's not. Besides, I think we look nice."

"You look like a pedophile." Mustang frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"This is the best we have, so deal with it." It seemed to Ed that Mustang's pride was no longer intact.

"Whatever you say, Colonel." Ed really didn't want to wear the dumb glasses and suit, but he also didn't want to admit Mustang's plan could actually work.

Ed helped Mustang hitch the horse to a wagon, and they filled it up with traveling supplies. They even packed pointless things, like empty suitcases, so they looked like convincing travelers. Before disembarking, Ed looked at his hands and realized they still had the damned bracelets on.

"Colonel." Mustang looked at Ed, who was revealing the his bright yellow bracelet. Quickly, Mustang pulled out a pocket knife he had taken from a cabinet in the house and he cut the bracelet off. When Ed offered to do the same, Mustang shook his head. He didn't have a colored bracelet because he didn't work in the fields. "Okay, how are we going to take care of these?" Ed pointed to the much more durable metal bracelet on both of their right wrists. "Winry had to tinker mine off."

"Riza had to take care of mine." Ed could've sworn he saw Mustang shudder. "There's a pressure point here." He pointed to the small, red light. "Roll up your sleeve." Ed complied and he allowed Mustang to smash the said area until the contraption snapped in half. Blue liquid oozed out, and Ed destroyed Mustang's bracelet with a quick swipe of the pocket knife. They waited a few minutes until the staining liquid dried so it wouldn't get all over their clothes.

"Do you see the point of Iodine?" Ed still couldn't figure out what purpose it served.

"It makes an annoying mess." They both shrugged their shoulders and decided it didn't matter; they were officially free! When they climbed in the wagon, Ed nestled himself with as many blankets as he could.

"Are you cold?" Mustang seemed to snicker. The sun wasn't up yet, so it wasn't like it was warm out.

"Yes." Ed lied. He was warm, but at the point where it was discomforting. Really, he just missed the feeling of having a blanket. Before long, Ed fell asleep in his little nest of comforters and quilts.

As soon as Ed slipped into unconsciousness, he dreamt about being in the desert, running with Mustang. He had a bad case of déjà vu, and he snapped awake right after the part where Mustang called him a terrible father. The blankets were hot, but Ed wrapped them closer to his face.

"Um…" Ed cut himself short, and he squeezed his hands around a quilt.

"What is it?" Mustang questioned from the bench where he was controlling the wagon.

"Never mind." Ed turned his head slightly to avoid Mustang's curious gaze.

"I think you might have some PTSD from being on the plantation. Don't worry, it'll get better." Ed knew Mustang was speaking from experience, but the plantation was not the subject that was causing Ed to panic.

"Do you think I'm going to be a horrible dad?" He blurted out and he stared Mustang down, not with anger, but with fear.

"Is that what's been bothering you?" Mustang chuckled to himself. "Here I was thinking something was wrong with your mind." Ed lowered his chin and Mustang focused back to the road. Maybe Mustang really did think he was going to be an inept father. "Edward?" He peeked through the blankets and glanced at Mustang. "You're going to be fine. You took care of your brother for years."

"Yeah, that worked well." Mustang must've sensed the sarcasm in his voice.

"You raised your brother to the best of your ability, and he's grown up to be a respectful young man."

"You forgot the part where I trapped him inside a suit of armor for four years."

"Fullmetal, enough!" The power of the voice made Ed shrink down a little bit, despite his best efforts to convey no emotion. "It wasn't only your fault, so stop trying to take all the blame. You're going to be a great father." After hearing those words of assurance, Ed did feel a bit better, but something inside him was still unsettling.

"How do you know? You don't have children."

"Not biologically." Upon hearing that, Ed let a small smile scrawl across his face.

"You really think I'll do good?"

"Of course. Being a parent is a natural instinct that everybody has. You're no different."

"You mean that?"

"It's a primeval instinct, so yes." Ed shook his head with dismay and he grinned contentedly. He wasn't going to be a mess-up of a dad like Hoenheim, and now he was sure of it.

They rode on and the scenery was starting to look vaguely familiar. It almost looked like the outskirts of Resembool, except there were fields of wheat with slaves unenthusiastically harvesting the grain, and the spot where a farmhouse should have been was not there.

"Are we going through Resembool?" Ed asked curiously, since he was not absolutely sure that's where they were.

"Yes. This is the best route to Central." More fields of wheat and sheep came into view, and their wagon started to go over a familiar looking hill. Any second now, they would be seeing Ed and Winry's house. The wagon went forward, but the house never came into view. There was nothing there.

Ed frantically unwrapped himself from the blankets and he jumped off of the cart. "Edward!" Mustang shouted after him while he ran up the hill to where his house was supposed to be. There was nothing but a few sparse wheat plants growing on a pile of ash and debris. He unknowingly dropped to his knees and began to aimlessly sift his fingers through the rubble.

He was excessively ecstatic to find a lightly burnt picture of him, Alphonse, and Winry, which was taken shortly after defeating Father. Ed clenched the photo close to his chest when a shadow came over him. "Who are you?" A man demanded and Ed's body went rigid. Standing behind him was a slave driver on a horse.

"Hello!" A foreign sounding voice interrupted, and the rider moved his horse, which revealed Mustang walking casually up the hill. Mustang stood next to Ed, and he helped him to his feet. "I'm Lee, and this is Xu." Ed had to admit, the colonel's Xingese accent was believable.

"You're from Xing?" The man seemed to be addressing Ed only, since Mustang could easily pass off as someone from Xing.

"We are distant relatives of Emperor Ling." Mustang answered without hesitation.

"Relatives?" The slave driver had his eyes focused on Ed.

"He is adopted." Mustang quickly explained, which seemed to fix the story.

"Really? Are you of Cretan descent?"

"Me no speak 'Mestris." Ed tried his best to look and sound convincing. Thankfully, the man seemed to be buying their charade.

"What were you doing on the ground?" Mustang bent over and grabbed a fistful of the ash, then he threw it giddily into the air.

"It's, as you say, ish day! No? Ish day very important. Come, celebrate!" Mustang grabbed more ash, and Ed mimicked his motions of throwing the dirt into the air.

"Foreigners…" The man grumbled and he trotted away on his horse. Mustang and Ed hastily went back to the wagon, and they continued on their way.

"What am I going to do?" Ed groaned and he hit his head against the wagon floor. "It's all gone. Everything's gone." How was he supposed to raise his child without a house?

"Edward, we will take care of your family when this madness is over, I promise. If it comes to it, you can stay in the barracks. Alright?"

"But, I'm not in the military."

"I don't care. I'll help you get through this."

"Okay." Ed wiped his ash-covered hands off on a blanket, and he fell asleep while sprawling out on the wood. The sun was finally starting to rise, and everything seemed peaceful.

* * *

Roy was bored. For the past few hours, all he had done was sit on the bench and make sure his horse did not trail from the road. Dublith was not far away, and the sun indicated there was another hour or two until it was noon. When they got closer, the whole town appeared to be abandoned. Debris, chunks of road, and house pieces were flung everywhere.

"Oh no." Roy could hear Ed say. "I forgot to warn teacher!" Roy highly doubted Ed's teacher was still here. He had a feeling no one was here. The once bustling city of Dublith had been completely abandoned. "We need to see if everything's okay." Ed spoke determinedly, and Roy knew stopping to see if his teacher was still here (which was unlikely) would only delay their arrival to Central.

Still, Ed had been acting strange lately. He was anxious and upset about his family in Xing, which was understandable. All he wanted was peace of mind that his teacher was safe. So, Roy gave in and he followed Ed's directions to the meat shop.

What was there was not surprising, given their current situation. The shop was nothing more than a pile of wood and bricks, as well as the surrounding area. There were pillars of rock jutting out in random places that appeared to be formed with alchemy, and Roy seemed to have a slight understanding of what happened here. Either Ed's teacher had made a miraculous escape, or she put up an amazing fight while being captured. Either way, the damage to the entire town was devastating. Roy had a feeling she made it out.

"Okay, Fullmetal, let's keep going." Roy clicked, and the horse quickened up the wagon's pace.

"I thought I told you not to call me that." Ed stated with a dead tone, which didn't surprise Roy one bit. Still, he called Ed by his old title plenty of times before, and he hadn't said anything then.

"Edward, let it go. What's done is done. I know things are a little messed up now, but it always gets worse before it gets better. Maybe this is a sign things are about to make a change for the better. Don't lose your hope. You've got a wife and unborn child waiting for you, so be strong for them." Roy knew it must be hard to lose your home, and find out your second home was destroyed, but they would never manage to make it to Xing if Ed didn't have the will or drive to continue on.

"I haven't lost hope, and I never will. I will be there for Winry and our baby." It sounded like Ed was offended that Roy insinuated he had given up. Roy was glad to hear Ed was still in a fighting spirit, despite their newfound discoveries of the fate of his hometown.

The sun was in the center of the sky, and Roy knew they would be arriving in the capital in a few hours, assuming they retained their quick, but steady pace. When they approached Rush Valley, Ed was stunningly quiet. The automail Mecca of Amestris was quiet and calm. It was supposed to be bustling and loud. A few people were walking in the streets, but it was otherwise abandoned.

"Are we there yet?" Ed moaned from the back.

"Don't you start that. We won't be in Central until nightfall." He could hear Ed snicker, which was followed by silence, then light snoring. Ed seemed to be sleeping like he never slept in his life before. Roy couldn't blame him; in the fields, the slaves were woken up at five in the morning, and they worked until ten at night. They also weren't given an adequate amount of food. The poor kid must've been exhausted.

Since there was nothing to look at except for his mare pulling the wagon, Roy couldn't help but think about Riza and the rest of his team. At least Ed knew his family was in Xing. Roy didn't have that luxury, so in a sense, he was blind.

Ed was snoring softly, and there were hardly any other noises. That made Roy relax, and he knew Ed wasn't having another nightmare. As he rode along, Roy tried his hardest to ignore the slaves cultivating crops near the roadside. He wanted to shove them all onto the wagon, but he knew even taking one would ruin their mission.

The sun went into it's decline, and Central came into view. Roy hadn't seen his home in eight months, and he selfishly hoped it hadn't met the same fate as Ed's home. He doubted Central would've been plowed down for the sole purpose of having more room for crops like in Resembool. Still, knowing these sadistic bastards, they could have demolished his apartment for fun.

"Why did they destroy the libraries?" Roy didn't realize Ed stopped snoring, so it took his brain a few seconds to understand he was being spoken to. He turned his head and looked at the burned down remains of Central's largest library, and he sighed with melancholy.

"Do you know how to kill someone, on the inside?" Ed shook his head and he had an eyebrow raised. "Get rid of a man's culture, and he is dead. Without culture, humans are reduced to mere animals. That, Edward, is why they have desecrated our institutions and literature." Roy could feel the anger swelling inside of him, and he could almost guarantee Ed was feeling the same way.

Central was bustling as ever, and no one paid Roy and Ed any attention. They passed Central Command, or at least what was left of it. Now, the building was an enormous pile of rubble, and half the building was torn away. The nearby buildings were in a similar scorched state.

"Looks like a battle field." Ed's eyes were moving rapidly and his mind was trying to quickly process what had happened to the area.

"It was." Roy was in the battle; he had been a one-man army.

"Kind of looks like these buildings were burned down." Ed was suspiciously eyeing Roy.

"They were. I think you know who did that." This was the spot of Roy's last stand. Well, not really, that was a few houses away in a boat…but that didn't matter!

"I can't believe you beat an entire army." One of Roy's cheeks twitched upon hearing Ed's statement.

"Actually, I lost. I was captured here."

"Oh, did you fall asleep?" Ed snorted, and Roy wanted to defend himself with an equally annoying response. Then he realized Ed was right. Roy had fallen asleep in a stupid boat. Really? A boat of all places, and in the middle of a water locked city. He wasn't about to let Ed know that piece information.

"Drop it." That only made Ed laugh, so Roy shot him a look. He even made a menacing motion to make it look like he was going to snap his fingers, but it wasn't exactly scary when he wasn't wearing his ignition gloves. "We'll be at my apartment soon."

"Yay." Ed sarcastically raised his hands in the air. "I can hardly wait."

"I'll have you know, my apartment is nice. It's better than your barracks ever were." Ed immaturely responded by sticking his tongue out. Roy ignored him and he hitched the mare on the side of the road.

"Oh, yeah, it really looks like it's a nice place." Ed jeered when Roy led him inside the complex. Roy had to admit, the place was a wreck. He hesitated to turn the doorknob to his room, knowing it was most likely going to look like a disaster.

Roy was right; his home was disorderly and things were scattered across the floor and tables.

"I thought you said you kept things organized." If Ed was trying to piss him off, it was working.

"I haven't been here in eight months, of course it's a pit!" Roy flicked the lights on and he walked over to his ash-riddled fireplace. He clapped his hands and transmuted a few bricks out of the way, revealing a small hole. Ed stood behind Roy and peered curiously over his shoulder. Roy reached into the makeshift safe and he pulled out a pair of ignition gloves, as well as a hefty amount of money.

He felt at ease with the familiar gloves on his hands. "It's been a long day. Let's get some rest, we have a long journey tomorrow." Ed agreed, and they patted the dust off of the two couches. Once again, Roy let Ed get the comfier of the two. It was hard to think he had been sleeping on dirt for all those months.

Once they were both situated, Roy let out an congenial sigh. Because he could, he snapped his fingers and set the logs in the fireplace on fire. The flickering light and the crackling wood was soothing. Roy closed his eyes and he thought about a myriad of things.

"Edward, nine months ago, you were in Aerugo." Roy said after doing some random calculations in his head.

"So what?"

"Well, Ms. Rockbell is due soon, and human mothers carry babies for nine months."

"Your point being?" Ed asked with more irritation in his voice. It seemed to slowly dawn on Ed what Roy was trying to get at. "Well, you did get us a honeymoon suite." Roy twitched his eyes and mouth with frustration.

"You knew Amestris was on the brink of war, so you thought it would be a good idea to…" He let his last word drawl out.

"Hey, you could've found us a more interesting town to stay in. Geeze, I thought I was going to die of boredom. Then, on my birthday-"

"I don't want to hear it." Roy quickly cut the loudmouth off.

"Jealous?" Ed was smiling mischievously.

"Jealous of what? I don't have a child and wife holding me down."

"Whatever you say, Colonel." Ed let out a loud yawn.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The only answer was a snore. Ed was very lucky he was injured, otherwise Roy might of considered setting the couch on fire.

* * *

"Agh! Get it off me!" Mustang shouted and Ed woke up. The sun was peeking through the open window, and the fire had long died out. He scanned his surroundings, but stopped when he saw Mustang. And a very large bird of prey.

The eagle was standing on the cushion and pecking at Mustang's side. It was quite a funny scene, and Ed began to deliriously laugh.

"Fullmetal! For the love of everything alchemy, get this damned bird off!" Mustang pleaded as he held up his hands defensively. Ed continued to laugh, and he threw a sheet over the eagle. The bird panicked, so Mustang and Ed carefully held the wrapped up eagle in an attempt to calm it down. It seemed to work, and the mysterious bird peeked it's head through a hole in the blanket.

"Well, that was random." Ed stated after he got over a coughing fit from laughing.

"I don't think so. Did you know Imperial Eagles are fast birds of prey native to Xing?"

"No." Ed didn't see how that was important, or why Mustang knew that.

"Sure, there are faster birds, but they don't have as much stamina and strength to cross the desert in a short amount of time."

"Thanks for the biology lesson." Mustang gave Ed the _smile_. Yes, he hated that smug, arrogant look. It irked him to no end. Mustang patted the bird's head, and he took the sheet off. The eagle remained calm and it looked at Mustang with beady eyes before screeching out a call.

"Here." Mustang untied something from the bird's leg and he handed it over to Ed. "I think it's for you." With wide eyes, Ed unrolled the piece of paper and he zealously read the letter.

"_Brother, I can't believe it! You're okay! There's so many questions we have. I was scared; we were all scared you died in the desert. Or something worse. We even sent out a search team to look for you several times, but we had to give up when Creta tried to detain the groups._

_ Ling has been great. He's given all of the Amestrians Xingese citizenships, even though I'm sorry to say that's not stopping the army from capturing our people. I'm just glad you acknowledged him. He seemed really happy after you thanked him in the letter._

_ Winry couldn't wait anymore. She had the baby an hour before your letter arrived! Oh, it was so scary. I made sure I was there, but I stayed in a different room with Ling. Everything went perfectly. Mei, Teacher, and Riza were all there to help during labor_." Ed paused and reread that line. Teacher was there, after all! And so was Riza! "_Congratulations! You're a father! Your son is healthy, and so is Winry. We are anxiously waiting for you to arrive so you and Winry can name him. We all figured it would be okay to wait a few days until you came. It's not that long, really._

_ I'm really glad Colonel Mustang is with you. Everyone was worried he had been killed, and I'm sure he was worried about Riza and everyone else. We are all safe, I assure you. I still can't believe you've been gone for eight months. Don't ever scare us like that again! _

_ The reason we got an eagle to deliver this letter was so it would get to you before you left. She's an amazing animal, so make sure you're nice to her. She's a specially bred eagle from the palace. _

_ I know I've said it before, but you really have no idea how excited we were when this letter was delivered to us. It was like two miracles happened in one day! I'm sorry you couldn't be here for the birth, but honestly, you probably would've fainted. Again._

_ Be careful crossing the desert, and don't drink cactus juice this time. We all happily, and anxiously, await both of your arrivals._

_Love, Alphonse_

_P.S. Riza told me to tell Roy the eagle bites_."

Ed gave Mustang the letter to read over. He seemed to be warmly smiling at the post note. "Here, you forgot something." Mustang gave the letter back to Ed, and he flipped it over. On the back, there was a small photo. Ed tenderly pried it off for closer inspection.

It was a picture of Winry and their son. They were surrounded by familiar, happy faces, and Ed was glad to see it. So many people had been there for Winry at her time of need, and Ed would be forever grateful for their help.

Ed kept staring at the picture of his son, and he put it in Mustang's face. "I'm a dad!"

"Looks like a sack of potatoes." Ed punched him on the arm. "Ow! All babies look the same; like potatoes."

"Not mine! Look at him, he's nothing like other babies. He's mine!" Ed accidentally let out a giggle of excitement.

"…Not another one." Mustang grumbled to himself, and Ed simply ignored it. He grabbed a random piece of paperwork from the floor, and he scrawled a message onto the back of it with a pen.

"_Alphonse, it's Ed, but you probably already knew that. I can't believe it! I'm a father! Oh, and he's perfect. Winry's perfect. You're all perfect! Tell everyone how much I appreciate their help. I can't say enough how glad I am. I doubt Winry's in any condition or mood to read this, so make sure you read it out loud to her. I don't want her to over-exert herself. _

_ I'm happy to hear Teacher is there. We went through Dublith, and the whole town was ruined. That reminds me, I have some terrible news_. _Resembool is gone. Nothing is left. I'm sorry._

_ Again, I'm so sorry for leaving like that. I was actually thinking ahead that time, too. _

_ I wouldn't have fainted! I've never fainted before. Sheesh, have a little faith in your brother. Fainting…that's ridiculous! And no, you can't keep the eagle as a pet. I'll be careful this time in the desert. By the time you get this letter, Mustang and I will be in the desert and a few hours away from the palace._

_I love you all! -Ed_"

Ed ran out of room, and he didn't care about his ramblings in the first part of the letter. He rolled up the note, tied it to the bird's leg, and Mustang took care of the rest. Ed clung to the picture, and smiled.

"I'm a dad." Ed said out loud, and Mustang smiled.

"I know."

* * *

It was kind of sweet, in a weird sort of way. Ed paraded around with his picture, and he had fallen asleep with it when they boarded the wagon. Roy received a letter, too, but Ed was too busy and frantic to notice. The members of his team were coddling him, and wishing him a safe return. He replied the reason they were leaving sooner than planned was due to a few complications, and they should be arriving a few hours after the eagle did.

Roy had filled the suitcases with clothes and fake travel papers, so they didn't look suspicious in case they were checked. After a three hours of traveling, a large wall with countless sentry towers came into view. He led the wagon towards the checkpoint, and he woke Ed up.

"Look alive, and let me do the talking. Try not to look nervous." Ed swung his legs over the side of the wagon, and he sat next to Roy. They were wearing their casual suits and glasses. Ed's hair was in a braid, and Roy put gel in his hair so it looked nice.

"Good day, sirs." A guard stood in front of the wagon, and Roy made a command for his horse to stop. Freedom was just beyond the gate; he could practically taste it.

"Good day to you." Roy said, then he bowed his head, and Ed mimicked the action.

"Would you mind coming standing here so we can conduct a search?"

"Of course not." Roy hopped off, and Ed surprisingly came off easily, despite his tender back. Several more guards and dogs searched the wagon. They must've been looking for stowaways.

"So, what brings you here?" Roy looked around. The checkpoint wasn't busy, and it seemed like only merchants came through.

"We are anthropologists. My colleague here has been to the Xerxian ruins before, and he suggested we go study it." Ed beamed with pride. Roy knew Ed wasn't smiling because of what he said, but because he was thinking about his son. "Here you go." Roy handed the man the fake documents.

After only ten minutes, the wagon was given the all clear. "Alright, you should be free to go. One last thing, do you mind rolling up your sleeves?" Roy and Ed glanced at each other; they were both confused. It seemed like a strange request, but it was simple enough.

Together, Roy and Ed both rolled up their sleeves. Roy's stomach flipped and his heart seemed to stop. Their right wrists were stained yellow from Iodine.


	11. Xingese Interlude

**Sorry, I have a terrible sinus infection, and I'm either contracting lactose intolerance, or Celiac's Disease. Therefore, my next update will take me a little while.**

** I have a feeling you're all about to hate me…sorry.**

* * *

Interlude

January 24th, 1917.

Al was squished uncomfortably in the back seat with the other men. Ed's eyes were beaming with feigned pride, and Al knew immediately something was not right. "What about you?" Al realized Ed was not planning on getting into the vehicle with them.

"I'll take the horses and distract them." The dust cloud from the oncoming Cretan soldiers grew in volume, and Al stared at his older brother with terror; he was sacrificing himself. He'd never be able to outrun military cars on horseback, and he knew it. Then Al remembered saying goodbye to Mei. Right before he left, Winry revealed why she had been feeling off. She wanted to surprise Ed when they came back from this mission.

"Brother! What about Winry? She's pregnant!" The car engine roared to life, and his dear older brother stared at him with shock. Al could practically see Ed's gears grinding in his head. Within a few seconds, Ed made his decision, and he almost looked somber.

"Tell her to wait for me. I always come back, Al. Bye." Ed waved his hand and the car sped off.

"Brother, no!" Al doubted his brother could hear him, but he had to try. He could make out Ed getting on a horse and galloping away. The men in the trunk held Al's arms in order to stop him from attempting to jump out. "Brother." He murmured and the dust cloud grew smaller while changing directions. Al was both mortified and a little happy his brother hadn't failed.

Glumly, everyone in the car remained silent on their strenuous journey back to the camp. The men that Al was shoved against would occasionally put a hand on his shoulder; a gesture that was supposed to mean everything would be okay. Well, everything was _not_ okay. Ed was in unfamiliar territory being chased by malicious Cretans. Ed knew there were rumors about the fate of captured alchemists, but he didn't know the specifics of the rumors. Al did. If his brother was captured, the likelihood of seeing him anytime soon was slim. "You dummy." Al said quietly as the truck pulled into camp.

Mei was impatiently waiting next to the main tent for Al to return. Her cheerful smile helped Al feel a little bit better, but not by much. "Alphonse!" She rushed next to Al and squeezed him in a tight embrace. She looked at him while he meagerly wrapped his arms around her. "Is everything okay? Where's your runty brother?" Her smile disappeared when Al made no indication to lighten up.

"He's gone." Al let the words settle in. He had been ripped away from his brother after only seeing him for a few short hours. "He's probably captured by now." The words were foul to his ears; he wanted to tell himself he was lying. Mei hugged him tightly, and she brushed away a tear from his eye.

"Well, at least he's alive."

"Maybe that's not a good thing." Al gulped. If the horrible rumors were true, death would be much kinder. "I have to go get him." He wasn't going to let his brother go into the messed up forced labor system Creta set up after annexing Amestris.

"Alphonse, please don't. You'll get captured, too." Al's heart melted when he looked into Mei's pleading wide eyes.

"Okay, I won't go, but I'm not giving up."

"Of course not. You know, we should probably tell Winry." Al drooped his eyes.

"Right." He was not looking forward to giving Winry what could possibly be the worst news in her life. "Let's go."

* * *

Winry was sitting comfortably on a large pillow in Ling's large tent. She was relaxing after eating a wonderful and filling meal. She couldn't wait to tell Edward the fantastic news; they were going to be parents! His reaction would most likely be priceless, and she couldn't wait to see what silly things he would say and do.

The tent flap opened and two people came in. It was Mei and Al holding hands, and they sat down in front of Winry. She looked at the opening, expecting her fiancé to come bursting in at any moment. "Where's Ed?" She asked anxiously.

"He's gone." Al hoarsely said.

"When is he coming back?" As soon as she said it, Winry immediately felt regretful. Al's eyes were puffy and red. Something was terribly wrong.

"I don't know." Al rested his head against Mei's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I-I told him about…" He couldn't finish, but Winry understood what was going on. She didn't know what to say, or how she should feel. All she could do now was hope Ed would be safe and return soon.

* * *

January 26th, 1917

"Hey, there's somebody coming!" Al rushed over to the man who was holding a pair of binoculars. "Two people. A large man and a Xingese looking woman." He handed the binoculars over to Al. The couple was easy to identify, and Al smiled for the first time in days.

"They're friends, let them come." Al eagerly waited, and the couple eventually made it into camp.

"Alphonse, is that you?" Al walked over to Izumi and Sig, then he nodded his head. Of course, Sig hadn't seen him after being freed from the suit of armor.

"Where's that idiot brother of yours?" Izumi asked in a friendly way. Really, was everyone he met going to ask him that same question? He was going to go insane if he kept on having to be reminded about it.

"Brother isn't with us. We sent out a search team, but all we found was a dead horse." His teacher looked at him with brief confusion, then sympathy. She and Sig pulled him into an overpowering hug, which he gladly accepted. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for your brother's actions." Al was glad to be reunited with his teacher in a non-violent way, and his spirits raised slightly. Edward would want him to move on.

* * *

Later that day…

"We've got more coming! Looks like a group of five people, and they're wearing Amestrian uniforms." Alphonse once again grabbed the binoculars. He separated from Teacher a few hours ago so she could talk to Winry about…women things.

Al looked into the binoculars and he was delighted to see the group of people were Mustang's team. Something was missing, though. Mustang was not with them. After they were processed and given Xingese citizenship papers, Al went over to greet them.

They all gave Al various greetings, which he cheerfully accepted and returned. "I'm so happy to see all of you! It's been far too long." These wonderful soldiers were practically his second family, and their arrival made Al less gloomy.

"So, did anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Havoc slyly put an arm around Al's shoulder, and he indicated to the woven bracelet on his wrist. It had been a present from Mei, and Al responded by heavily blushing.

"Actually, yes. Brother and Winry are having a baby." He decided to get the attention off of himself.

"You mean…a baby?" Al raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand why Havoc had said that, and the others didn't seem to believe the newly acquired knowledge.

"Of course I mean a baby. Winry's about a month in. Brother is going to be a dad!" There was a collective 'aw' and the previously tense atmosphere calmed.

"Where's the lucky guy?" Havoc asked in a crafty tone, and Al frowned. Riza grabbed Havoc by the ear, and she dragged him away.

"We're going to see Winry." She stated, which left Al confused. He watched them disappear into the tent Winry was in.

"Did something happen to Edward?" Fuery asked quietly.

"We think he is in Amestris."

"That's where Mustang is, too. Hawkeye hasn't been taking it very well." They looked at each other with silence. It almost felt like they were mourning Ed and Roy, even though they were most likely alive. Although, right now, their lives probably weren't going very well.

"Come on, I'll get you some food." Al broke the silence. At least there had been a few positive outcomes to this dire situation; he had been reunited with his second family, and he was going to be an uncle.

* * *

July 17th, 1917

Three months ago, Ling received a call from Brigg's. Olivier Armstrong had refused to leave her fort, but she desperately wanted to save her country. So, construction of a large underground tunnel began. It was going to connect Brigg's to the desert, so soldiers could avoid the enormous wall the Cretans (captured Amestrians, Al reminded himself) built. Construction of the tunnel was going splendidly, but not fast.

Al heard rumors about the monstrosity of the wall, and how it was built. Amestrians were forced to build it all day and night without being provided food and water. The wall workers died off quickly. There was a good possibility Edward was sent to the wall, but no one would ever be sure. It was unbelievable that Ed could die easily from starvation or dehydration, so Al knew his brother had to be okay. Winry held the same sentiment. Ed was too stubborn to die from something so simple.

* * *

Winry was seven months pregnant, and she was doing well. She had the strangest cravings and mood swings. Al could've sworn he saw a jealous look in her eyes whenever he was holding hands with Mei. He knew what the source of the jealousy was; she didn't have Edward to hold hands with. It was a simple reason, but it made Al feel terrible. After his visits with Winry, he would make sure to show Mei as much affection as possible. He was thankful he had someone to lean on and speak his feelings to.

Riza, Mei, and Izumi were with Winry for most of the day, everyday. They fed her with encouraging words, and they made sure she was healthy. She tried her best to look strong, but Al knew she was in torment for not having Edward by her side.

* * *

August 2nd, 1917

"Hi, Alphonse." Riza said softly. Al smiled and he looked back out the window. They had moved into Ling's palace a few days ago so Winry could give birth in a safe place.

"Hello, Ms. Riza. What brings you here?"

"You seem down." It certainly wasn't an understatement. No one was truly happy anymore.

"I suppose. How's Winry?"

"She's perfectly fine, as usual." Riza frowned when she saw Al was still dreamily gazing out the window, with no emotion on his face. "Follow me, I think I know how to cheer you up." They walked across the courtyard, and she led Al to a small building, which had occasional bird calls emanating from it.

"A falconry?" He cocked his head slightly.

"I know they're not cats, but I think you'll enjoy them." She opened the door, and Al's eyes seemed to spark back to life. He gleefully petted the tame birds on their perches.

"This one reminds me of Brother." Al indicated a large golden eagle with piercing yellow eyes.

"I don't know, it kind of looks angry to me." The eagle indignantly screeched.

"I know." Al grinned, and Riza was glad he was joking about his brother. At least he could be happy now, even if someone mentioned Ed. "Hey, look over here!" Al hastily walked to a large tub filled with peeping young hawks. He scooped one up and placed it in Riza's hands. "They're cute." He supplemented and he tenderly grabbed a second one. The little birds were docile and they didn't fidget around too much.

Riza glanced at her bird with admiration. It was small, fluffy, and black. "Yeah, they are fascinating birds." She looked into the hawk's stunningly intelligent black eyes. "They're fierce hunters, very noble, and they mate for life." The young hawk chirped, and Riza smiled warmly. She wasn't necessarily talking about hawks…

* * *

September 22nd, 1917

A group of 129 Amestrians were escorted into Xing by Cretan and Aerugo soldiers. Apparently, they had been in a large rebellion, and special circumstances had taken place to free the revolters. Everyone was hoping Ed or Roy would be in the group, but the chances were slim.

Ling came back from his trip to the camp, and he didn't look like he was about to give any good news. "I'm sorry, Edward and Roy were not there." Al looked at his feet and Ling handed him something. "This is what the prisoners were wearing." He lazily inspected the metal bracelet.

"It's mostly Iodine and Copper, that's strange. Copper is found in the south, and I think there's even several Copper mines in Aerugo-" Al stopped his train of thought, and he bubbled with anger. He looked at Ling with wide eyes. "Aerugo. They were planning this the whole time."

* * *

September 26th, 1917

Al was reading in the library, trying to perfect his Xingese. "Alphonse!" He shot his head up and looked at a very frantic Mei. "She's in labor!" Al jumped up and he rushed down the halls with Mei. Once they arrived at the room, Al stayed outside with Ling, Sig, Falman, Breda, Fuery, and Havoc. They uneasily waited for what felt like hours, and the screams from the room made all of the men shudder.

"You can come in now." Mei motioned for them to enter the room. She, Izumi, and Riza had already changed into different clothes, and they cleaned the bedding so the blood didn't cause the men to have the urge to vomit. Everyone carefully surrounded Winry, who was now sleeping as a result of exhaustion. In her arms was a small bundle of blankets, which housed the peaceful face of a baby. Al apprehensively looked at the three women in charge of the delivery.

Izumi placed a hand on Al's shoulder. "Congratulations, you're an uncle." Al knew the saying was supposed to be, 'you're a father.' Unfortunately, the father was not here, so Al was determined to be the best uncle ever until Ed returned. If he returned.

* * *

Later that day…

"You can hold him, if you'd like." Everyone had their turn holding the infant, and Al held him for a second time. The baby's eyes were closed, and he had no hair. It was too early to see which parent's traits would take over. His nephew was beyond adorable, and Al was starting to have some unusual thoughts.

"Mei?" He asked so only she could hear. "Do you like babies?"

"Of course I do."

"Um, I was wondering if, you know, we could, uh…"

"Alphonse?" She was staring at him with shock. "What are you trying to say?"

"I know it doesn't seem like the right time, but I was wondering if down the road if you would consider…" Al gulped and took a deep breath. "…marrying me." He felt so relieved to let that out, and he braced himself for possible rejection. Mei seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"You silly boy. Why didn't you just say so?" Al nervously laughed and his face started to cool down. He knew his face had to of been cherry red. "I love you." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Me too."

* * *

Even later that day…

"I got a letter!" Ling declared and he waved a piece of paper in the air. Everyone was on edge, waiting to see who the letter came from. "It's from Edward!" Al's heart skipped a beat, and he could see Riza lowering her head from the corner of his eye. Al read the letter twice, and his heart was fluttering even more.

"Mr. Mustang is with Ed!" He announced and he watched as the room seemed to light up immensely. He let everybody read the letter, and it was hard to contain his happiness. "What should we do?"

"There's really nothing we can do but wait." Winry stated from the bed, and she was holding her child with care.

"She's right. If you want, we can send a letter to Roy's apartment." Riza was beaming, obviously glad her superior was alive and well.

"It won't make it there in time."

"Sure it will." She winked, and she began to write her letter to Roy. Al grabbed a piece of paper and he wrote about how excited he was to hear from his brother.

* * *

"Do you think it will get there in time?" Al apprehensively tied the various letters to his favorite bird in the falconry.

"Of course it will. I bet she'll even make a mess in Roy's apartment while she waits for them to arrive."

"Good." They released the eagle and hoped for the best.

* * *

September 27th, 1917

The return letter came early that morning. It was a short response, and everyone could detect the jitteriness and excitement in Ed's frantic words. Al, Riza, and Izumi decided to go to the camp so they could greet Roy and Ed when they returned. Hours passed, and night gradually turned into day. The morning turned back into night.

Izumi gently put her hands on Riza and Al's shoulders. "They're not coming." Al looked at his teacher, then to Riza. He was sad to discover she had a steady flow of tears running down her cheek. "I'm sorry." Was it really too hard to ask for happiness?

End of Interlude.

* * *

**Sorry I did that to you...**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Warning for the next few chapters: Psychology is fun.**


	12. Divergence

**I enjoyed last chapter. It was a nice break from the rest of the story, and it was relieving to see what was happening in Xing. I'm glad many of you held the same sentiment. **

**Alright, I have contracted Celiac's Disease. Woo. Thankfully, my sinus infection went away, and that's why this update didn't take me forever. :)**

**This chapter only has mild psychology. The next chapter will delve into it a little more deeply. **

**Thanks for your reviews and words of support! (Mysterious Illusion...you owe me cupcakes...) **

* * *

Ed's first instinct was to clap his hands, touch his right arm, and proceed to attack the soldiers. Roy knew it was an old impulse, and Ed must've been in serious turmoil if he was resorting to alchemy. Still, Ed seriously seemed to believe his arm was made of metal, not flesh, and that he could perform alchemy. Roy had heard of phantom limbs before, where an amputee reported pain in their missing limbs. Maybe Ed was having a reverse effect and he thought his flesh arm was gone.

No matter what was going on through the teen's head, Roy hoped he kept it up a little longer. Roy simply stood there dumbfounded, and with shock. One by one, more guards came over, and they were all knocked unconscious as a result of Ed's fury. No doubt more soldiers would be coming, and Ed didn't seem to be in the right mindset to realize they had to go quickly before backup came.

Roy shook his shock away and he decided to take action, since the only thing Ed seemed to be interested in was beating up as many soldiers as he could. The guards seemed to be only paying attention to Ed at the current moment, so Roy snuck away to hotwire one of the military trucks. It had been a long time since he hotwired a vehicle, so it took him several long minutes. He glanced over at Ed to make sure he was still doing fine. The soldiers were either unconscious or doubled over in pain. Roy hurriedly jogged over to Ed so they could get in the car.

Ed seemed to be in a daze, and he looked ferocious. Roy grabbed his arm in an attempt to take Ed to the vehicle, but he wildly swung his arm and punched Roy in the stomach. "What the hell?" Roy gasped as he recovered from being short of breath.

"You can't take me!"

"I'm on your side. Remember?"

"Liar!" Ed screamed and he punched Roy in the gut a second time. Roy immediately recognized the situation; Ed was having a breakdown. Honestly, he should have seen this coming. Ed was underfed, abused, lost his home, and he just discovered he was a father. The amount of stress that was building inside him was too much, and he lost his sense of reality. It wouldn't be a permanent thing, but now was not a good time for Ed to be experiencing his breaking point.

"I'm going to help." Roy spoke in a calm voice. During the Ishvalan War, many soldiers snapped. The best way to deal with them at the time was to remain calm and put them in a relaxing environment, which was an extremely challenging thing to do in a chaotic environment. Ed didn't respond he tried to hit Roy again. Not wanting to be sucker punched, Roy grabbed the hand before it made contact with his ribs.

"Let me go so I can kick your sorry ass!" Ed fidgeted and a few of the soldiers were starting to recover.

"Fullmetal, you need to calm down. You are under a lot of stress. Do you understand?" Apparently, he didn't. Ed lifted his automail leg and tried to kick Roy. Without hesitation, Roy flipped him around and pinned both of his arms around his back. He led a very distraught Ed to the backseat of the truck. Roy carefully put Ed in, and he went around to the driver's seat. He put his foot on the gas pedal and they drove into the desert.

"I'm gonna destroy you." Ed growled and he started to punch the grate that separated himself from the front seats. Roy ignored him and he glanced in the rearview mirror. The backup military trucks were a long way away. Eventually, Ed gave up banging on the bars and he curled up into a ball on the seat. The blind violence from his breakdown seemed to be coming to an end.

* * *

Ed opened his eyes and he tenderly cradled his right hand. For some odd reason, it was really sore. For another strange reason, he was in a vehicle, but he didn't remember getting into it. The last thing he did remember was standing in front of a Cretan soldier. It appeared he was in a military car. Had he been knocked out and captured? He peeked through the bars and was glad to see Mustang was the driver.

"Colonel? Were are we?"

"Desert." He replied with a drowsy tone. It looked like there were bags under his eyes.

"Really, I hadn't noticed." Ed stated sarcastically. "How did we get out here? I don't remember-"

"You passed out." Mustang said quickly, which led to more confusion on Ed's part. Ed didn't exactly believe him, but it was really the only thing that made sense. Mustang could have at least put him in the front seat, and not in the back like some sort of criminal.

The car began to sputter and it came to a halt. "We've been on low fuel for the past few miles. We'll have to walk." Thankfully, they were already in the ruined city, so they were halfway to Xing. Ed tried to open his door, but it was locked from the outside, so Mustang exited the car and let him out.

"You know, last time I was here, there were people." Ed recalled. It didn't look like anybody was hiding out in Xerxes anymore.

"Oh?"

"Ishvalans." Ed let his eyes wander to Mustang, who was smiling.

"Funny. Now we're no different than them." They stood in silence, and Ed glanced at the hazed horizon.

"So, are we going to continue, or wait until those soldiers catch up?"

"I don't know." Mustang looked like he was in some sort of trance. He was probably over thinking their situation.

"What do you mean? You're the leader here, you're supposed to know your next move!"

"Why am I the leader?" It almost looked like Mustang was testing him.

"I shouldn't have to answer that. Why are you giving me that look?" Mustang was tense, and it looked like he was preparing to defend himself against an attack.

"Preparing. Calm down."

"I am calm! So don't tell me what to do, bastard." Immediately, Mustang went at ease and he appeared to be content.

"You're the one who said I was the leader. How am I supposed to lead if you don't listen to me?" Mustang gave Ed his stupid, smug smile.

"Whatever, oh great leader. Just come up with something, already."

"Well, either action we take is going to be a gamble. We can go into the desert now and hope we don't get lost. Keep in mind the military can easily outrun us, and we won't have anywhere to hide if they catch up. The other option is we stay here and wait until the military gives up and leaves." Ed considered the possible outcomes, and it wasn't looking too good.

"Is there an option where we have a higher chance of making it to Xing?"

"Of course." Mustang gestured to his gloved hand. "Although, I think you'd want this as a last resort. Right?" Ed nodded his head gingerly.

"We won't last long in the desert without supplies. Trust me, you don't want to have to resort to cactus juice to make it through."

"You drank something that came out of a strange plant?"

"So? I was thirsty. Anyway, I think we should stay here so we can gather the proper supplies." Ed indignantly crossed his arms and he looked around at the vast ruins. Mustang nodded his head and they began to search for a place of refuge. They walked past an ornate carving on a wall that Ed intently studied a few years ago. It didn't look like anything had changed.

Ed and Mustang stopped at a water well and they sat down on the ledge. It was quiet, and there were no signs of active civilization. It wouldn't be too hard to find a hiding place in the vast ruins, so they decided to take a break. There was no way the military would catch up to them that quickly. Ed reached into his pocket and grabbed his photo, which he stared at longingly.

"Can I see that?" Ed snapped out of his gaze and he handed the picture over to Mustang's outstretched hand. "She's beautiful." Ed gave him a strange look.

"He's a boy." Mustang didn't seem to hear Ed, or really care. After several silent minutes, Mustang gave the photograph back to Ed. "I wish I could've been there…"

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." Mustang droned in an usual tone. If Ed was in a rational mood, he would've understood something was wrong.

"I don't feel sorry for myself." Ed stated without hesitation. "I'm just worried about Winry and Al, not that you'd know what it feels like." Ed didn't mean for it to come out like that, but the damage was already done. The cold stare in Mustang's eyes was terrifying.

"You're a selfish, disrespectful brat! You think this is only affecting you, but it's not. I sent my family away, and all I could do was hope they made it into safety. You had the privilege of knowing your family was safe; I didn't!" Ed shrank back as Mustang's volume intensified.

"But they're safe-"

"I only discovered that a few days ago. I had to live with myself for almost a year without knowing if they were captured, alive, or dead. You don't know what that feels like. You're selfish. You always have been, and you always will be."

"Now hold on a second-" Ed wanted to defend himself, but Mustang seemed to be growing angrier by the second.

"No! I'm tired of your lame retorts and dumb comebacks. You never follow protocol or rules, and you never acknowledge your place in my presence. I should've left you on the plantation." The gleam in his eyes looked dangerous, and his words were venomous.

Ed wasn't going to let the crazy colonel talk to him that way, but he knew he should tread lightly. "I would've escaped on my own-"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here!"

"That's not true. I would've found a way-"

"I don't mean the damn plantation!" Without even realizing it, both Ed and Mustang were now standing up. "Without me, you would be a cripple, and your brother would be in armor. In fact, right about now, the both of you would be dead. And no one would care. Without me, you are nothing!"

"Colonel!" Ed felt like his heart had been ripped out and stepped on. He wasn't sure if he should be feeling hurt or angry.

"Don't 'Colonel' me. I'm not you superior, and I don't want to associate myself with a reckless subordinate, you little selfish brat." Ed couldn't believe Mustang was saying those things. He felt betrayed and wrathful, but something in his mind told him Mustang was not well.

As Mustang turned to storm away, Ed grabbed his arm; they needed each other to escape. Mustang gave Ed a murderous look, and he pried Ed's hand off of his sleeve. Then he reeled his hand back and slugged his fist into Ed's stomach. "That's for earlier." Ed grasped his chest as he fell to the sand, and Mustang left without a second glance.

"You're a bastard!" Ed shouted after him. He could see a ball of fire erupt in the distance, and Mustang went out of sight. "Fine! Leave, just like you always do." The fire eruptions were farther away, and Ed stood up. He kept one hand on his injured chest, and he stood still until the soreness was less drastic. Ed turned around and he looked at his reflection in the water. "I don't care."

It was quiet and lonely. In a sense, Ed had been alone for the past few months. He detached himself from the rest of the Amestrians, but this was a different kind of loneliness. There was nothing here.

"Stupid colonel. Who needs him, anyway?" Ed cupped his hands into the water, and he took several refreshing drinks. Mustang would die in the desert without water, and he had run off without thinking about that major detail. "Who cares about that jerk? I don't. We're even." Ed suddenly became self aware that he was talking to himself.

To ease his mind, Ed looked at the photograph of his child. He was held in Winry's arms, and she had a faint smile. Izumi, Al, and Riza were sitting on the edge of the bed, which was surrounded by even more people; Mei, Sig, Fuery, Havoc, Falman, Ling, Lan Fan, and Breda. Everyone was smiling, but something seemed a bit off, and Ed didn't quite know how to explain it. He supposed they were all usually not chipper, and this was only a brief moment of happiness.

Then Ed realized something; Riza. Her hair was down, and she looked like an average citizen. All of Mustang's subordinates were in civilian attire, and they didn't look very soldier-like. Riza was wearing a Xingese outfit, and something clicked. 'She's beautiful' Mustang had said, and now it made sense. Ed groaned and he rested his head on his knees. "I'm an idiot."

* * *

Roy was laying face first on the steaming, brown sand. He had no idea where he was, and he was exhausted from traveling without water or food. It was hard to believe those harsh words to Ed had actually came out of his mouth. Roy wasn't sure what had come over him, and now he was paying the consequences. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He croaked while shutting his eyes.

"Zhuxi xiansheng, ni hai hao ma?" Roy furrowed his brows together; he imagined he was having a hallucination of some sort. He turned to look for the source of the voice and the first thing he saw was a car. After blinking heavily, Roy could make out two men wearing Xingese clothes. "Ni cong Xing?" Not being very fluent in Xingese, Roy looked at them with a befuddled look on his face.

"I speak Amestrian."

"Oh?" One of them responded with a heavy accent. "You are a refugee?"

"Yes." It was getting hard to speak due to his parched throat. The Xingese men rushed over and the helped Roy stand up by lifting him by the armpits. Once he was stably on his feet, he was given a large canteen of water. After every drop was finished, they helped him into the car, and they gave him more water.

"You are very lucky, this was our last comb through the desert for the week." Roy meagerly nodded and he continued to fill himself with the satisfying water. He was finally going to be free, and he would no longer have to worry about his life being in danger. Yet, he wasn't happy; he felt dreadful and angry. He was furious with himself.

What he had yelled to Ed was uncalled for and not necessarily true. He left Ed to fend for himself, and even if the teen went another blind rampage, his moves would eventually become predictable and he could easily be taken down.

"Your description kind of matches a Colonel Mustang. Who are you?"

"I am a bastard." He said it simply, and like a revelation.

"Huh?"

"Turn this car around, immediately!" Roy stated with an authoritative tone.

"Sir, please calm down. We are taking you to Xing."

"No, we need to go to Xerxes, please!" The alarm was clear in his voice.

"I think he's going into shock." The driver said and he put the vehicle into a stop.

"This is important. I left someone behind, and I assure you I know what I'm talking about."

"I'm sorry, it's too risky. We already have intelligence Cretan soldiers are already on their way to Xerxes."

"Then we have to hurry! I'll walk if I have to." Roy stated defiantly.

"That's not a good idea. There's no way you can fight off-"

"I'm the Flame Alchemist. I can do whatever the hell pleases me." The occupants of the car went dead silent for several minutes, and the small voice of the passenger Xingese man spoke up.

"There are many people awaiting your return. Do you really want to keep them waiting more?" Of course he didn't. He wanted this stupid war to be done with, and he wished everyone could live a peaceful life.

"I know they are safe, and they are strong enough to wait for me a bit more."

"Okay." The driver turned around and they began their journey to Xerxes. Hopefully Ed would be able to forgive Roy. Hopefully Ed would still be there.

_The human mind is a fascinating place; it can be a place of refuge, or it can be your greatest enemy._


	13. Misapprehension

** Is this story a parental Roy/Ed story? Brotherly? Love hate? I'm not even sure anymore. I guess that means they're somewhat IC. :P**

** Yorokobi Asahi-Thank you! I'm glad you thought their craziness was believable.**

** Not so human- But, they already had a few days of break... I need to keep them busy.**

** ViolaHarmony- Thanks! I'm going to go ahead and say they're both in bad shape, although you're right, Ed is worse.**

** DreamweaverAki- The psychology I'm going to be using is hard to explain: It's like a combination of PTSD, Borderline, and dependent disorders all in one. I know that doesn't really make sense now...but it should soon. No, I can't recover from Celiac's. I just have to make sure I don't any gluten. Ever.**

** Pervy-Soulmetal-Alchemist: Ah, a fellow Avatar fan. ;) I'm glad the humor in my story managed to stick in your mind, rather than the darker stuff. Yay, waffles!**

** Guest- Well, it certainly wasn't my shortest chapter.**

** Wolves Run Free- Ah, references.**

** Memories of Voxie- I lied. This chapter is going to be fairly tame as well. Originally, chapters 12-13 were supposed to be one big chapter. That didn't happen.**

** A Mysterious Illusion- I just felt like conning you out of some cupcakes. What shall happen next?! Read to find out. When will they get back to their families?! Never! Bwahaha! (Side note: Sokkasm has been brutally attacked by Roy and Ed.)**

** Bluefire21- It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun. Or desperately running for your life. Thanks, I feel better now that I know what has made me feel cruddy. No more gluten for me.**

** Hunter-Re- Or did I? O.o Actually, I was listening to Dueling Banjos when I updated, so I must've been thinking of Deliverance. Thanks for pointing that out.**

** fangirl2013- Aw, thanks!**

**Alright, enough of that. Onto the story! (Same psychology warning still applies to next chapter.) Sorry for the shortness.**

* * *

Ed managed to find a building that was in decent shape, and he stockpiled it with as much water as he could carry. He was prepared for several days of hiding, even though it would be tough with little food. Creta wouldn't spend too much time looking for him, and if he was lucky, they'd assume he was either in the desert or in Xing.

As he sat silently in the corner, Ed could hear gunshots in the distance. Either the soldiers found a fugitive, or they were target practicing. He really hoped it was the latter, but he was smart enough to know soldiers wouldn't waste their precious bullets on non-human targets. The shots were making Ed nervous, especially when they became more loud, which indicated the enemy was near.

Quite expectedly, someone burst through the doorway, and he slammed it shut. The man was panting heavily and he used his body's weight to block the door. Ed froze when the soldier repositioned himself so his back was to the door, and his eyes moved over to the hiding Amestrian. Both the soldier and Ed went tense, the only difference was the soldier had a handgun cradled in his hand.

Slowly, the gun was aimed at Ed's chest. Trying his best to not look intimidating, Ed raised his hands slightly and he remained seated. The gun clicked and both the soldier and Ed grew frantic. "Don't shoot." Ed said calmly, but the soldier seemed to be terrified. His hands were shaking, and even if he did shoot, the bullet would most likely miss. Still, Ed didn't want to risk it.

As seconds went by, the soldier's trembling turned into hyperventilation. Eventually, the man fainted, which made Ed wonder what had mortified the soldier to that degree. Instead of pondering, Ed decided to take action. He walked over to the unconscious soldier and assessed the situation. Ed pried the gun out of the Cretan's hands and he carefully unloosened one of the soldier's boot laces. After doing that, he tied the man's hands together and he retreated to the back wall. He leaned against the wall and he kept his gun trained at the door, which was in poor shape.

He could hear more gunfire, screams, and explosions. People were definitely running past the door, and no one came in to search the building; yet.

"We need backup!" A soldier cried out. Ed wondered what was going on, but he didn't want to risk being discovered to satisfy his curiosity. His arms were starting to hurt from keeping the gun at a steady level, but he didn't dare to lower it.

For good reason, too. After a few minutes, someone kicked the door down. Ed closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger, which was followed by a pained shout and a thump on the solid floor. Ed tried reasoning with himself that it was okay, the soldier was the enemy. He wanted to throw the gun at the wall; it was most definitely not okay. The soldiers were only doing their jobs.

Ed wiped his bleary eyes with his arm so he could see if the person he shot was still alive. Hopefully the wound would be in a non-vital area, which was likely considering he fired without looking; a foolish thing to do.

Once his eyes focused, Ed could make out a small puddle of blood and the dark figure of a person where the blood was coming from. He wasn't wearing a military uniform, and he had a familiar look. Panicked, Ed rushed over to confirm his horrifying suspicion. It was Mustang. "Colonel!" Ed ferociously shook Mustang, but he showed no signs of waking up. The strange scent of cooked meat was coming from outside.

"Colonel." Ed repeated, and he checked Mustang's neck for a pulse. Sure enough, there was one, and it was not yet weak. Tenderly, Ed flipped Mustang onto his back so he could look for the wound. His forehead had a small trickle of blood, but it was from Mustang falling headfirst onto the ground. He most likely had a concussion. Not too long after discovering the head injury, Ed finally found the bullet wound. It was on Mustang's left calf, and it was not bleeding profusely; a good sign Ed missed important veins.

He looked around for anything that could be useful, but this place had been long abandoned. Ed tore off one of his sleeves and he tied it around the wound, and he carefully drug Mustang to the back of the room. Once they were both relocated, Ed raised Mustang's injured leg, and he set the colonel's foot on his shoulder. Ed almost wished he had his automail port, because the boot was starting to dig into his skin. Elevating the leg would hopefully help the wound clot, but the medical field was something Ed was not familiar with.

"Mmmuhg?" Mustang grumbled incoherently and Ed let out a sigh of relief. Mustang lifted one of his arms and waved it around at something that wasn't there. It was a sure sign he had a concussion, and the dry heaving followed by the arm flailing helped prove it.

"How are you feeling?" Mustang opened his eyes, then closed them again. His face scrunched into a pained expression, and his breathing became shallow. "Great, he's going into shock." Ed mumbled to himself.

A small, gray canister rolled across the floor and a puff of smoke erupted from it. It was a sweet-smelling gas, so Ed instinctively dropped to the ground so he wouldn't inhale the substance. Mustang let out a holler of agony when his leg slid off of Ed's shoulder and harshly made contact with the floor. A few seconds after the first canister was done filling the room with gas, another one was thrown in.

Ed could see a soldier peering through the doorway, so he fired a shot at the wall to keep them away. The gas was starting to evenly distribute throughout the room, and Ed was starting to get a headache.

"Colonel, wake up." Ed shook Mustang's side in an attempt to make him stir. He had stopped responding shortly after the gas erupted, which was a sign the gas was either anesthetic, deadly, or both. Eventually, the fragrant substance took over, and Ed's vision went dark.

* * *

When Ed regained consciousness, it looked like he was in metal room. Once his vision was clear and he had full use of his senses, he realized he was in the back of a prison truck. His hands were bound simply with a rope, and he was surprised to discover he wasn't wearing an anti-alchemy bracelet.

Mustang was laying down on the opposite bench with his hands chained to a support pole. Half of his pant leg was torn away, his wound was thickly wrapped with various gauzes and cloths. The bandages sported a brown stain, indicating the wound stopped bleeding. The most disconcerting thing about Mustang were his eyes; they were open and motionless.

Ed sat up straight and he waved a foot in front of Mustang's face. "Colonel, can you hear me?" He made no acknowledgement of hearing Ed. Instead, he continued to stare blankly at nothing.

Curiously, Ed looked out of one of the barred windows to see if he knew where they were. The layout of the land looked familiar, but it only made Ed confused. It appeared they were going north, but Amestrians were sold in the south. Then there was the fact Mustang had an anti-alchemy bracelet, but Ed did not. Nothing was making sense anymore.

Maybe Creta knew he wasn't an alchemist. At this point, it wouldn't be too surprising. "'Lizabeth?" Ed returned his gaze back to Mustang. He looked disoriented and in serious pain.

"Yes?" Ed knew Mustang was going through some withdrawals about their situation, so he didn't see any harm playing along with the deluded colonel. It might even help him feel better. "I'm here." Mustang smiled, which made Ed frown.

"It hurts." Mustang said with a heavy slur after he fidgeted his legs.

"I know. Stay still, okay?" It felt diminishing to be talking to his previous superior in such a childish manner, but it seemed to be keeping Mustang calm. A bump in the road caused Mustang to freak out and groan in pain, so Ed got off of the bench and he knelt down next to the colonel's face. "Relax. You were shot and now we're in an ambulance." _Yeah, shot by me._

Mustang calmed down and he took deep breaths. "Did I do something wrong?" Ed cocked an eyebrow at the question and he shook his head. "Why did you do it? You promised…" Mustang stopped mid-sentence, like he lost his train of thought. _He thinks I'm Riza; he thinks she shot him._

"It was an accident, and it was my fault. You did nothing wrong." Ed already decided to forget about their fight a few hours earlier. They both had been jerks and they let their tempers take control. Ed was glad Mustang came back, even though it didn't work in the long run.

Mustang grunted an incoherent response. "Colonel, we'll be at the hospital soon. Just hang in there, then we can go home. Everything's going to be okay." Mustang sighed with content, and Ed turned his face away with shame.

_ Liar._


	14. Immunized

** I have this thing called a 15 page long report due…so I will be going on hiatus for a bit.**

* * *

Ed was sitting on the bench next to Mustang's head. Occasionally, he would mumble something that Ed couldn't understand, and he dipped in and out of consciousness. The car came to a rough halt, which caused Mustang to groan with pain. Ed awkwardly patted his shoulder with his bound hands, not completely sure if the physical contact would calm the colonel.

In response, Mustang lolled his head back to look at Ed. "Are we in Resembool yet?" _What?_ Ed looked out the window and noted it was snowing.

"We're not going to Resembool; you're going to a hospital."

"Why?" Ed couldn't help but notice there was an abnormal tone in Mustang's voice. "I hear Elric is a genius. I want to talk to him before anyone else gets the chance."

"Mustang, you're going to the hospital." Ed made sure to enunciate the syllables clearly.

"Are you mad at me? You don't call me that, normally." Ed huffed a loud breath of air with temporary defeat. Mustang still thought Ed was Hawkeye, and he didn't understand at all what type of position they were in.

Faint voices could be heard outside, and the back door's lock clicked. "…valuable. Make sure they are healthy before you sort them." The door swung open, revealing several Cretan and Drachman soldiers. Instinctively, Ed shrank down. _No! I'm Edward Elric! I was the Fullmetal Alchemist. These people can't scare me. _Ed straightened his back and he glared at the Drachman who was walking towards him.

The man looked like he could've been Major Armstrong's brother, size-wise. The Drachman stood in front of Ed and he held a large dagger in his hand. Ed's eyes widened and he could feel his heart thumping. _He's going to kill me! I can't do anything about it; I'm weak. I never had the chance to meet my son, and I didn't say good-bye to Al and Winry. Mustang is delusional, so he won't even realize what's happening…Ignorance is bliss._ The man grabbed Ed's hands and he raised the knife. _Here it comes. I just hope he makes it quick, or better yet, he'll have a stroke before he stabs me. _He kept his eyes on the knife as it came to his hands, then the rope keeping him bound was cut off. _That was anti-climactic… _

"Come with me." The Drachman even offered a hand, which Ed refused. He stood up on his own, but stopped walking halfway. Ed turned his head to look at Mustang, who seemed to have a look of betrayal on his face.

"What about him?" Ed questioned and he stood still until he was given an answer.

"We'll take care of him. Come on." The man spoke with authority in his voice, but his tone was not malicious. He followed the man without hesitation and he carefully observed their surroundings.

The snow was gently falling and sticking to the pavement of North City's roads. It was not bustling with people, but it really never had been busy before the annexation. A large fence surrounded the city, and several buildings had been turned into watch towers. Ed stopped in his tracks when they approached a concrete building that was definitely a prison. The word 'Obedience' was painted in black over 'North City Jail'.

"Keep up, please." Ed continued onward and he walked up the stairs. _Why am I listening to him? Why is he treating me like an equal? They're supposed to think I'm a vile creature as useful as a cockroach. I know they're trying to play some sort of mind game with me…I don't like it. _They ended up in a large room that resembled a doctor's office. It seemed the first level of the jail had been transformed into a makeshift hospital.

There were several large men in Drachman uniforms standing in various places throughout the room, but they didn't seem to be paying Ed much attention. _They don't see me as a threat. Well, I wouldn't either…but still, I'm Edward Elric! Do they know that? They seem to know I'm not an alchemist,_ _so maybe they do know who I am. Even so, most people still think I'm an alchemist. What the hell is going on around here? _A docile looking man wearing a white cloak entered the room, and Ed assumed he was a doctor.

"Hello." Ed blankly stared at the doctor without acknowledging the greeting. "How are you?" _How am I? Is this guy serious!? I've been living in a shithole for months with only enough food to survive. I never got to take a shower, I slept on the dirt, and they yelled at me everyday. Then, they beat me! So how do I feel!? I feel like I'm living in Hell. My house is gone. I left my family behind, and they probably think I'm dead. And of course, I shot Mustang; he's crazy now. How am I supposed to feel?_

"I'm fine." Ed replied coolly. The doctor smiled warmly, which caused Ed to cringe.

"Good. Would you mind removing your clothes?" _Yes! I do mind! What kind of sick-_ The doctor handed Ed teal hospital clothes. _Oh. I guess that makes sense. Okay, so where do I change? _Ed felt all eyes on him as everyone waited for him to do something. _No worries, it's no different than my yearly physical I had to take while in the military. They just want to know I'm healthy, but I don't know why they care. _Ed complied and he stripped down to his boxers with little reluctance. It was like the people weren't giving him a reason to rebel.

Ed let out a sigh of relief when the doctor made no indication for Ed to go any further, and he slipped on the hospital gown. It still felt demeaning to have several strangers staring at him while only wearing boxers and a front gown. "Thank you. Come over here." Ed rolled his eyes as he walked over to the scale the doctor was indicating to. "Is that a northern model?" The doctor pointed to Ed's left leg.

"Yes."

"How much does it weigh?" Ed shrugged his shoulders. That was something that never really concerned him.

"Alright, have a seat." One of the Drachmans pulled a chair over and Ed slumped into it. He already knew where this was heading; they were going to detach his leg so they could get an accurate measurement. At least taking off automail was somewhat less painful than attaching it. "Are you ready?" Ed nodded his head and he eyed the doctor suspiciously. _He's giving me a warning. I hope they start insulting me soon, or something. All this normalcy is weird…_

Ed felt the tingle of the nerves disconnecting from the metal, then there was no feeling. His rusted leg was placed on the scale and the doctor wrote a quick number down on a sheet of paper. "This automail is in poor shape." _Of course it is, you idiot! How was I supposed to maintain it?_ "We'll make you a new one."

"No!" Ed shouted and he lurched forward. Someone caught him before he face planted and set him gently back on the chair. His automail was the only thing he had that reminded him of home, in a strange sort of way. "It's fine, really."

The man shrugged, and with the help of two others, he reattached the automail to Ed's port. Ed stepped on the scale and he waited for the doctor to move the balances so he could get an accurate height and weight. After a few quick adjustments, the doctor frowned.

"You only weigh 112 pounds." He then turned his head to face the Drachmans. "He needs to gain at least 20 pounds before we begin." _Begin what? They're obviously doing something different here than the rest of the country when it comes to Amestrians. They don't need manual labor this far north, but there seems to be a lot of Amestrians in here. That, and they are going out of their way help me. _A terrible thought was starting to nag at Ed's mind. Every time it popped into his head, he pushed it back out. _No…That can't be what they're doing, can it? I'm not ignorant; I know there's more than just field and house slavery going on. Sick bastards. I guess it makes sense, considering we are this far north. Maybe I'm overreacting. Yeah, that's it. I'm taking this out of proportion._

Subconsciously, Ed put his hands behind his back and he pulled the edges of the gown together so his skin was not exposed. "Okay, Edward Elric, you can lay down on the bed." Ed shuddered when his name was spoken.

"How do you know my name?" He snapped, and two Drachmans placed their hands in front of Ed's torso so he didn't attempt to lash out.

"There were rumors you were traveling with Roy Mustang. You've just confirmed them." _Sly, cocky old bastard. He'd better get that smirk off his face before I do it for him. _Ed grumbled indignantly and he plopped down into the low hospital bed. The doctor carefully peeled away the makeshift bandages Mustang had wrapped around Ed. He rested on his belly and he nearly jumped when a stinging, cold cream was slathered across his scarred back. After the prickling sensation dimmed down, he felt relieved. Ed's back felt wonderful, and he closed his eyes in preparation to relax.

"Physically, he is in poor condition. Mentally, I'd say almost normal." Ed opened his eyes and he gave the doctor a harsh stare.

"I'm not stupid!" Ed stated with assurance.

"Subject is defensive."

"I'm right here; don't talk to me like I can't hear you!" _Are they purposefully trying to irritate me? Well, it's working!_

"We'll have to take care of his pride issue later."

"I don't have pride issues!" He shouted, which made his throat sore.

"I recommend he's sedated while he recovers." Two Drachmans steadily held Ed down while the doctor injected him with three needles. "He's sedated and vaccinated. Now, we still have the issue of…" Ed couldn't hear what came next.

Ed was already slipping into darkness, but he gladly accepted the sleep. Right now, he didn't care what was going on. He didn't care what was happening to him and Mustang. It didn't matter if they were going to inevitably be used by these people. The only thing that mattered was sleep.

* * *

** Questions? Concerns? Derogatory comments?**


End file.
